Earth's Protectors
by nld200xy
Summary: A new breed of villains have risen up to terrorize humans in the form of Pokemon, powerful creatures with the strength to end mankind. Luckily, a group of heroes are trained to protect the humans from this menace. Heavily inspired by Kinnikuman, this is something I've wanted to make for a long time.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pokemon franchise or its characters. Also, the concept is heavily inspired by Kinnikuman.

It was a fine night in Tokyo. The sky was nice and clear, the stars were bright, things couldn't have looked better. It was so nice, in fact, that a young woman was walking home from the store with groceries in her hand, not even feeling the need to drive to the store and back. That was just how peaceful a night this was... or so it seemed.

Just as the woman was humming a happy tune, she failed to notice a set of glowing eyes following her. In fact, these eyes belonged to a teen who had been following her since she'd left the store, but this was no ordinary teen. He was a reptilian creature that stood on two legs and had orange skin. A big crest that resembled a Mohawk rested atop his head as he also sported loose yellow skin that resembled baggy trousers and a scarf, the reptile seeming to be having a bit of trouble keeping the lower skin up as he had to pull it up quite a few times.

Either way, he had a devious grin on his face as the woman was still oblivious, the lizard waiting for just the right moment to strike when the woman stopped at a red light, the reptile's grin widening as he sprang off the ground, aiming a kick straight for her head with his knee pointed out, the woman just about to take in the hit when suddenly, a ground and red streak flashed through the sky, hitting the lizard hard and sending him flying into a lamp post, the woman hearing this as she turned.

The woman's saviour was another odd being, this one being a monkey with white fur covering her torso, head and legs and brown fur covering the rest of her body, a stream of fire representing long hair coming from the top of her head. She also sported golden knee pads, shoulder pads and breast plates.

"I know you..." the woman uttered, her eyes wide open as the monkey turned to her and said, "Save the pleasantries. You should run now," the woman nodding and saying, "Thank you, Miss Infernape, Ma'am," the woman running off as the lizard shook his head, grunting, "You must feel real special, what with everyone and their Grandma knowing your name," the reptile slowly rising to his feet before saying, "But that was a lucky shot."

"You know who I am yet you have the gall to claim you can defeat me?" Infernape remarked, folding her arms with a look of anger in her eyes, the lizard remarking, "Of course. Ya may have been a legend back in the day, but you and your comrades are getting old now, and you know it too. Why else would ya drive that lady away instead of letting her stay to watch the show?" Infernape's eyes widening as she stood still, the reptile smirking and adding, "It's cause ya know you're gonna lose, that's why."

"I don't wanna hear that from a troublemaker like you!" the monkey retorted, springing off the ground and flipping vertically toward the lizard, aiming a kick at his head only for the reptile to spot and opening, leaping toward the monkey shouting, "HIGH JUMP KICK!" sending his knee hard into her gut before she could lower her leg, Infernape's eyes once again wide open as she coughed up a bit of blood, falling hard on her back, the lizard landing and folding his arms, snickering wickedly.

"It's time to make way for the next generation, lady," the lizard taunted with a smirk, "Ya probably could have beaten me back in your prime, but not anymore," Infernape trying her hard to get up only to receive another kick to her face. Even she had to admit that this lizard was right as she simply lay there, allowing the reptile to make his escape.

The following day, a meeting was held on a nearby planet known simply as Hero Planet, the place where a lot of these strange creatures first originated. The meeting in question was located in a big building called the Tower of Justice where those of high status and power went to discuss major issues. And this was certainly one of those issues.

"This is terrible," one representative, a caterpillar with a horn named Weedle stated while looking at a screen with what looked like a series of maps for areas of Earth on it, "Crime is at an all-time high ever since these new villains showed up," the monkey sitting in one of the chairs and lowering her head sighing, "I'm sorry..." Weedle taking a deep breath and turning to her, stating, "Don't apologize, Infernape. We've all faced at least one of these threats and each and every one of us has failed."

A variety of others sitting in their own seats also had looks of shame on their faces. It was as Weedle had said. These evil beings were dominating and it was only a matter of time until mankind would be bowing to their knees.

"Well, what are we supposed to do!?" one of the creatures, a buffalo with an Afro spat, slamming his hoof against the table, "Are you saying we should sit back on our asses and let them take over!?" Weedle shaking his head and remarking, "No," a hybrid of a shrew and a pangolin asking, "Then what are you suggesting?" the worm replying, "It's time to pass on the torch. Our time has ended, but our children have the potential to be just as good as we once were if not better. It's time to put our faith in a new generation of heroes."

At this moment, one particular being living in a small cottage on Hero Planet was waking up for some breakfast, not really thinking about anything else. This creature in particular was a more human-like specimen with bluish-grey skin and a short snout. His face was reptilian in a sense and he had a rather impressive physique with red stripes on his arms and seemed to only wear a speedo. His head was lined with three light-brown ridges and he even had four sharp teeth that could be seen whenever his mouth was open.

While eating breakfast, a young human woman entered the kitchen and said, "Good morning, Machoke," the lizard boy blinking and saying, "Wow, you're up early, Mom. What's the occasion? Is dad finally coming back home?" the woman sighing, "I wish..." looking at a photo of a similar-looking being, only this man was light blue, had yellow fish lips and four arms, the woman shaking her head and saying, "No, son, I received an important message last night from the Tower of Justice."

Machoke blinked, clearly looking confused as to what this had to do with him as the woman smiled bright, saying, "You're going to be a hero, son," all going silent as Machoke asked, "What?" the woman's smile widening as she added, "The government has issued that you along with a lot of others with the blood of heroes in their veins must attend Hero School."

Machoke's eyes widened, the boy too shocked to even protest against this as the woman added, "Those who graduate will be sent to protect Earth from evil. You'll be fighting bad guys just like your father," Machoke staring silently before nodding slowly, a fake grin on his face as he uttered, "Um... yeah... that sounds awesome," the boy laughing nervously before adding, "I'll go get my things packed..."

But just as Machoke was about to head to his room, his mother replied, "Already taken care of," pulling out his backpack, the lizard boy blinking and asking, "You sure you didn't miss anything?" the woman shaking her head, her smile still on her face as she flashed a toothy grin, uttering through clenched teeth, "Head outside to the car, honey..."

Seconds later, Machoke's mother was pulling on his legs as he clung to the side of the entrance way to his house, wining, "NO, I DON'T WANNA GO!" the woman sighing, "Stop being such a baby," Machoke remarking, "I don't like fighting!" the woman gritting her teeth and grunting, "So help me God, I will get you into that car, young man!" Machoke laughing and taunting, "And what's a normal Earthling going to do about it, huh?" the woman applying a little extra force as the boy finally let go, waving his arms, desperately trying to grab onto something else only to wind up being forced into a vehicle parked out front, the woman entering the driver's seat and sporting a sweet smile, asking, "Is your seat belt done up nice and tight?" Machoke letting out a sigh and strapping himself in, groaning, "Yes, mom..." the woman nodding and starting up the engine, the car rising up off the ground and taking off, it being a hovercar and all.

The school in question that Machoke and many others were being taken to was located within the vicinity of the Tower of Justice. It had only recently been made in response to the attacks on Earth, but because Hero Planet consisted of beings with out-of-this-world abilities, making an entire building in less than a week was easy.

And at around noon, all of the potential heroes were starting to arrive, only unlike Machoke, these people actually wanted to be here. Most of these students were related to the previous generation of heroes while others came from families who hadn't really used their abilities to fight evil but certainly possessed the power to do so. And there was certainly a high number of creatures of various shapes and sizes, all of them wanting to do their absolute best to fight for the sake of mankind.

One particular being among them all was a slender bipedal girl with a lower body resembling a slim white gown to match her snow white torso with a green rim on the inside. There was also green surrounding her chest area and extending out to her arms and hair, a red horn coming from her chest with a rounded one sticking out of her back.

It seemed not everyone here was willing to fight evil as this girl looked nervous beyond compared, trying her best not to make eye contact with anyone. However, her fear seemed to leave her when a boy rested a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's okay, sis. I'm here for you, remember?" the girl turning with a bright blush and saying, "You're right. Sorry."

This boy, who seemed to be the girl's brother, had a very similar colour scheme as he was clearly the same species, though the rest of his appearance differed quite a bit. Only his lower body and head was white while the rest of him was green, and rather than having hair, he had a helmet over his head with a blue spike attached to the back half of it. His arms were less human-like and more like sickles and rather than having a gown-like lower body, he had rounded hips with long, strong legs. Like the girl, he also had two horns sticking out of his chest and back, only both were pointy as opposed to just one.

And of course, there was so much more, such as turtles, snakes and even anthropomorphic flowers, and not all of them grew up on Hero Planet. In fact, Machoke was the only one of these students who actually grew up on the planet. The parents of the others had already made Earth their home and as such, the rest of these future heroes were born and raised on Earth in various different countries, all of them even sporting accents native to these areas.

A blue dog-like being was currently looking over the students who had arrived, the doors not yet open as he said, "Alright, looks like almost everyone is here and accounted for... there's only one missing..." a car pulling up as he smiled and said, "And speak of the devil, he's here," the door opening up as Machoke was forced out of the vehicle, landing hard on his chin and grumbling curses under his breath, all of his things being tossed right into the back of his head as his mother waved, saying, "Bye, son! Make me proud!" the car taking off as Machoke barked, "YOU WITCH!" everyone in the area staring awkwardly at him as he got up, grinning nervously, the dog taking a deep breath thinking, 'Oh god, he's just like his father.'

With that, he cleared his throat, regaining his composure and stating, "Welcome, one and all to the first day of Hero School. For the next month, you will be training hard for those who graduate who will assigned to protect Earth. Anyone who fails to graduate will have to stay here for another month and this will continue until you qualify," Machoke's eyes widening, his jaw dropped as he resisted the urge to speak out against this. After all, he had no say in his enrolment and had never fought in his life. This was the worst possible thing that could ever happen to him.

"Pathetic..." came a female voice from behind him, the lizard boy slowly turning to notice tall chicken-like woman behind him. The majority of her body was covered in red feathers with yellow ones covering her ankles the area right below her chest. Covering the chest and making up her long hair were white feathers. Currently, this woman was folding her arms and staring at Machoke with a look of anger, saying, "I expect better from the son of the great Machamp."

The others in the area stared in shock as a robot with a ball-like head, one eyeballs and two magnets coming out of the sides stated, "Ah, I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. He certainly has Machamp's physique, though he does lack the two extra arms," Machoke blinking in confusion as a small blue turtle exclaimed, "Wow, so you're Machoke! Your dad's a legend among legends!"

Machoke blushed, laughing nervously before forcing a triumphant look thinking, 'May as well try to soak up the glory while I can,' but just as he was about to do so, the chicken let out a sigh and said, "Don't be fooled, everyone. This kid may be related to Machamp, but he sure as hell isn't like Machamp. I could tell right from the moment I saw him," Machoke staring in shock and confusion as she sighed, "Your father was a powerful man, truly worthy of his respect. You, on the other hand, reek of cowardice. Let me guess, you didn't actually want to come here, did you?" Machoke letting down nervous sweat and uttering, "Is it really that obvious?" only for the blue dog to glare at the chicken, barking, "Enough, Blaziken! You can have small-talk during lunch break and after the following classes are finished, but right now, you are all to follow me."

Upon hearing the bird's name, other students immediately started whispering among themselves, the magnet cyborg whispering, "I should have known that was the daughter of the great Combusken! Though what's her deal? Her mom and Machamp were great friends," Machoke groaning, "So much for the hero treatment..." the young white and green girl tapping him on the shoulder, a shy look on her face as she uttered, "Um... if it means anything to you, I didn't want to come here either..." Machoke blinking and biting his lower lip, letting down light tears and sniffing, "You have no idea how beautiful it is to hear someone else here say that," the girl's brother walking ahead and signalling her to follow, saying, "Come on, Gardevoir," the girl nodding and exclaiming, "Coming, Gallade!" before running off and shooting Machoke one last little smile before sticking close to her brother.

Machoke took a deep breath, following the students to class. The thought of there being another who felt the same way about attending Hero School that he did was at least comforting to a certain degree, but even so, this didn't change that fact that Blaziken was right. He wasn't fit to be a hero.

After walking to the first training area, the dog turned to his students and said, "I haven't properly introduced myself yet. I am but one of many instructors here at Hero School, and my name is Riolu," everyone staring in absolute amazement. Even Machoke, despite his lack of knowledge, did know this name. Riolu, much like Combusken and Machamp, had an incredible reputation.

"Now with that out of the way," the dog added, pointing at the training equipment before everyone and adding, "Welcome to your first training exercise," Machoke noticing that the area was full of punching bags, the boy saying, "Alright, this is okay. A few punching and kicking exercises... I can live with that," before noticing what happened next as another old hero, a badger with a flaming neck named Typhlosion entered the area, Riolu saying, "Miss Typhlosion here has arranged an added element to making this exercise more, shall we say, challenging," everyone staring as the quadruped smirked, saying, "Feast your eyes on this, students," rolling up into a ball shouting, "FLAME WHEEL!" covering her body in fire and rolling past the punching bags, lighting them on fire.

When Typhlosion returned to her regular state, she smirked and said, "Alright, try hitting the bags without burning yourselves," some of the students staring in terror at the sight of this, Gardevoir trembling with fear as Gallade patted her on the shoulder, saying, "It's okay, I'm sure you can manage this," Machoke glaring at Riolu and barking, "ARE YOU INSANE!?"

"Need I remind you this was not my idea but Miss Typhlosion's?" Riolu remarked, "Besides, some adversaries on Earth might have bodies that can harm you just as much as you harm them, if not more. If you can hit these punching bags without hurting yourself in the process, you're more than ready to take on opponents like that," Machoke uttering, "But that's impossible..."

"No it's not," Blaziken remarked, walking over to one of the bags and raising a foot, ramming it hard into the bag and bringing it back just as quickly as she'd sent it forward, Riolu saying, "See, that's a good way to do it. By making her kick as fast as possible, she was able to avoid having her foot out long enough to have it burned," Machoke grumbling curses before sighing, "Fine, I can do that too! Just watch me!" the lizard boy walking over to one with a smug grin directed at Blaziken while saying, "Anyone can do what you just did," sending a kick into one of the bags but keeping his foot there too long and burning it, the boy falling on his back and crying out in pain, Blaziken sighing and shaking her head.

"It's also worth note that the same technique doesn't always work for everyone," Riolu replied, "Blaziken's body may be capable of such speed, but not everyone's body can pull off those kind of reflexes. You must find another way to use your natural abilities to your advantage," Machoke fuming.

Gallade performed beautifully by standing on his tip-toes and spinning his arms around like blades, forming a sharp twister and hitting it multiple times, many impressed by this tactic, Gardevoir even managing to do a descent job by sending slaps with a descent amount of force to move the bag while still delicate to the point where she seemed to be using the momentum of her swings to blow the fire away from her. Unfortunately, she was not as fortunate as Gallade as after ten hits, she did end up getting a light burn. After receiving it, she squeaked a bit but shook her head, took a deep breath and said, "No, I'm going to be a strong. A hero should be able to tolerate pain," looking at Gallade and asking, "Right?" the boy nodding and replying, "You'll be ready for this soon enough, sis."

Machoke couldn't believe this. The only other person who didn't feel fully confident in her abilities ended up doing loads better than him. Sure, she did get burned, but only after hitting the bag ten times, which was more than could be said for the lizard boy.

Almost immediately after training time with the punching bags was up, everyone was led to the next area, which involved everyone having to lift weights, Machoke blinking and saying, "Okay, I can probably handle this..." flexing his muscles and grinning, saying, "Not bad at all," looking around and thinking, 'I actually have the biggest muscles of anyone here... I may actually dominate everyone in this category.'

Riolu smiled at the students and said, "This is a simple training round. For this one, our fitness instructor, Mister Graveler, will decide which weight is most suitable for you to work with," a boulder with two arms among the students waving at an older boulder with four arms, a rougher build and small legs waved and exclaimed, "Hi, dad!" Graveler grinning and replying, "Hey there, Geodude, my boy! Looking strong!" Machoke blinking and thinking, 'I almost forgot a lot of students here are related to the instructors.'

"So..." Riolu said, turning to Graveler, "what weight do you think we should start with today?" Graveler replying, "Well, I'd like to go easy on the newcomers..." Machoke thinking, 'Thank you, lord,' the boulder tapping his chin and adding, "so I was thinking a minimum of 2000 pounds should suffice," Machoke's eyes widening, his jaw almost hitting the ground as he spat, "2000 POUNDS!? ARE YOU MAD!?" Blaziken groaning, "Come on, that's child's play for us," Machoke staring at her and barking, "You do know 2000 pounds is a ton, right!?" Blaziken smirking and remarking, "I'm surprised you actually know that. Maybe you do have some intelligence in you," Machoke retorting, "Well, if you're so tough, you can go first!" the chicken scoffing, "Gladly," making her way over to the 2000 pound weight provided for her.

And with almost no effort at all, the chicken grabbed hole of the iron bar with both of her hands and lifted it high above her head, most of the heroes acting as if this was nothing special as Graveler said, "Not bad," Machoke blinking and saying, "Hey, maybe this isn't so challenging," the boy walking over with a grin and saying, "Me next," Graveler smiling and replying, "I like your enthusiasm," Machoke saying, "If someone like Blaziken can lift this, I can lift it with one hand!"

With that, the boy attempted to lift it only to find himself unable to move it, the boy saying, "Okay, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself," this time applying both hands only to end up budging it slightly above his feet and no further, the boy dropping and breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his face, Graveler saying, "Nice try. I recommend exercising those muscles of yours," Machoke staring as Blaziken sighed, "Having a nice physique is one thing, but actually using those muscles and building your strength is another."

Machoke fumed as Gardevoir walked over to Blaziken and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, why do you hate Machoke so much?" Blaziken shooting the girl a glare and remarking, "That is none of your concern!" Gallade walking over and retorting, "Hey, don't talk to my sister that way! She asked you a question, and very nicely at that!" Riolu and Graveler wondering if they should separate the two of them when Blaziken walked away from the other students herself, not wanting to talk to anyone.

The truth was, Blaziken had always had a deep hatred towards Machoke's entire family. She hated how Machamp had all the glory while her mother, Combusken was always second-fiddle. Sure, the two of them fought side-by-side many times, but it was always Machamp delivering the finishing blows and getting all the praise with Combusken getting lip-service. Blaziken swore that she would end this trend by up-staging Machamp's son, but seeing that he was such a weakling and a coward made her sick. She was easily better than him and it didn't feel satisfying knowing she didn't have to put any effort into it.

Gardevoir simply looked at her with a depressed look, Gallade sighing, "Forget it, Gardevoir. You're a great person and she just doesn't see it," the girl shaking her head and replying, "I'm not offended, I'm just... concerned..." Gallade giving his sister a confused look as she held her hand up to her heard and added, "She seems so sad..."

Either way, weight-lifting was soon out of the way as it was time for the day's final exercise. For this one, treadmills were set up as Riolu said, "As you can probably tell, this is a speed exercise. Jolteon here has chosen a way to motivate you all to run the fastest you can," a bright yellow fox with spiked fur exclaiming, "I've chosen a great way to get your spirits high!" Jolteon whipping out a cup of coffee from nowhere and gulping it down before pulling out a switch and pressing a button on it, the ground at the end of the treadmills coming open as spiked walls rose up on platforms, the students staring at this with fear, even the bravest ones, Jolteon squealing, "THIS IS SO EXCITING! If you're not fast enough, you'll end up hitting the spikes, so you'd better be prepared! All you gotta do is outrun the treadmill for 20 seconds! I'm sure you can all handle that!" Gardevoir trembling as Gallade said, "Don't worry, you're one of the fastest people I know," the girl nodding with a light smile.

"Spikes or not, this actually isn't too bad," Machoke replied, Blaziken asking, "You sure of that?" the boy nodding and replying, "If there's one thing I do have experience with, it's my feet," ten heroes trying out the treadmill, Blaziken being one of the first to go as she easily overpowered the machine, running so fast in fact that she caught managed to reach the front of the machine in less than ten seconds and leap over the machine that told how fast it was going, everyone clapping as Jolteon spat, "WOW, THAT WAS AMAZING!"

After that, Blaziken sat in a corner and pulled out a bag of chicken feed, munching on it, Machoke going up next as he ended up standing next to the machine Gardevoir was using, the girl smiling and saying, "Good luck," Machoke nodding and replying, "You too," the machines once again starting up.

Strangely enough, it seemed Machoke's talk of being fast enough was actually true as he was managing to run on time with the machine's speed. Blaziken scowled at the sight of this before spitting one of her seeds right at his ankles, Machoke's eyes going wide as it hit him like a bullet, the boy losing his balance and running back-first into the spikes, everyone gasping as Jolteon shouted, "OH, THAT LOOKED PAINFUL!" Riolu glaring at Blaziken and barking, "Blaziken, I know you seem to have some sort of grudge with Machoke, but that was going too far!" Machoke's groaning in intense pain as Gardevoir whimpered, "He needs medical treatment," Riolu nodding and replying, "You're right. Someone take him to the nurse's office."

At that moment, a groundhog walked over to him and said, "I'll help him out," Machoke groaning, "Thanks..." the rodent leading him toward a certain area, Riolu stating, "Watchog, that's not the way to the nurse's office," the rodent grinning before saying, "I know it isn't," everyone gasping when suddenly, the rodent's arms ripped open to reveal giant spikes, his tail end coming open to show an abdomen underneath. Soon his entire body had come apart, everyone gasping as a large wasp with two giant stingers for hands appeared. As if that wasn't bad enough, a big white square with poles on the ends and ropes attached to said poles rose up from under them. This was a fighting ring, the sort of thing heroes and villains alike often settled their disputes in, and as if this wasn't bad enough, a big cage surrounded it as well, Riolu asking, "Who are you?"

"I am Beedrill!" the wasp replied with a wicked laugh, "If you're wondering where Watchog went, let's just say he met an unfortunate accident on the way here," everyone staring in absolute horror, Blaziken also in shock. She had been partly responsible for this and she did feel a little bad about that.

"In case you're wondering how I got this to work..." Beedrill explained, "I've been studying the layout of this facility since I got here. I know you guys keep training rings around here and this specific one is for practising cage matches, so when I saw Machoke get badly injured, I thought of this as a perfect opportunity to lure him over here so I could kill him and no one could stop me!" Machoke staring in horror and barking, "But why me!?" Beedrill replying, "It's simple! You may not be on the level of your father, but your family is still considered a major threat among villains everywhere! If I take you out, they'll recognize me as their superior and give me a position of high power! As if you being weak isn't enough to make this all possible, your injuries have made things so much simpler!"

Machoke trembled in absolute horror as even the instructors couldn't do a thing about this. This was the perfect plan. The only way Machoke could possibly get out of this was to defeat Beedrill in a fight, but could he pull this off with his lack of skill?


	2. Chapter 2

This was truly the worst day of Machoke's lift. First he had been forced to partake in a school he had no interest in. He had undergone intense training since shortly after his arrival, training that had only managed to get him hurt. As if that was not enough, Blaziken had it out for him and had even sabotaged him during the one training exercise he was actually good at, causing him great pain as a result. But just as things were looking up and he was to get medical treatment, it turned out a villain had snuck into the school and was now going to face him in a steel cage match, the first fight Machoke would ever take place in, and he was under an injury so this was even worse.

Beedrill started flapping his wings, making that intimidating buzzing sound flying bugs always made, Machoke trembling and whimpering, "Oh god, I really hate wasps..." Gardevoir walking to the side of the ring and saying, "Remember, Machoke, that's not normal wasp you're fighting," Machoke retorting, "Yeah, this one's bigger and stronger than a normal wasp!" Gallade sighing, "Yeah, and that makes him an easier target, right?"

Machoke's eyes went wide as he smirked, saying, "You're right..." slowly rising to his feet, trying his best to ignore the pain to his back, "Normal wasps are a total pain, flying really quickly and since they're so small, they're almost impossible to hit. But this guy's big," Beedrill remarking, "I'm also fast!"

With that, the wasp flew toward the lizard boy, Machoke unable to respond in time as the wasp jabbed his stingers straight through his shoulders shouting, "TWIN NEEDLE!" the boy crying out in pain as blood was now dripping down from the spot that had been hit. Beedrill took full advantage of this as he flew up toward the roof of the cage, carrying Machoke with him, his eyes glowing briefly before he flipped his entire body over, heading quickly toward the mat shouting, "TWIN NEEDLE SUPLEX!" slamming Machoke's head hard into the mat, the boy now in more pain than he could have ever imagined, Beedrill finally pulling his stingers out of the shoulders while the lizard boy clutched his head, rolling around in pain.

'Is this what I'll have to deal with if I graduate?' he thought, 'Always having to face scary guys like these on Earth? I don't think I can handle it!' Beedrill laughing and exclaiming, "This is just too easy! I'm actually impressed that didn't knock you unconscious!"

Machoke was wishing it had for Beedrill did not hesitate to fly in for another one. Blaziken simply got up and headed away from the area. Not only was it painful seeing the son of her mother's biggest rival being beaten so badly, but she still felt guilty for putting him in this spot and did not want to show that she cared about his safety, even just a little bit.

Gallade gritted his teeth and spat, "Machoke, his form is sloppy! He's left a really obvious opening! Take advantage of that!" the lizard boy blinking and looking at Beedrill, noticing exactly what the green and white boy was saying as he threw his arms forward in a sideways motion, grabbing the wasp's stingers, Beedrill's eyes wide with shock. As if that wasn't surprising enough, Machoke had actually applied enough force to keep the stingers from hitting him just long enough for him to lean back and release Beedrill, sending him careening into the side of the cage, his head hitting the steel hard as he fell onto the surface of the mat, grunting in pain and rubbing his head, Machoke staring at the wasp while uttering, "Did... did I just do that?"

"Excellent job, Machoke!" Riolu exclaimed, one of the other students exclaiming, "Get him while he's down!" Machoke snapping back to reality as he nodded, saying, "Right," charging toward the wasp only for Beedrill to regain his senses, propelling himself off the mat in time to avoid taking in another hit, Machoke uttering, "Oh no..." the wasp descending right behind him with a smirk on his face before ramming the stinger on his abdomen into the lizard's back, Machoke's eyes widening in pain as more blood came out.

With that, the wasp proceeded to wrap his stingers around the boy's neck, grunting, "That was a lucky shot!" everyone staring in fear, hoping a miracle would happen.

All the while, Blaziken continued to stand away from the ring, sitting down while hugging her knees and sighing, "Mom, I'm sorry... if you could see me now, you'd think I was a disappointment..." the chicken letting down light tears. The truth was, she knew why her mother had always been okay with Machamp being better than her and was too blinded by her ego to accept this.

Combusken had told her several times that she didn't care about the glory of the medals or the trophies. Fighting alongside someone so powerful and selfless and protecting the lives of others was its own reward. Blaziken had always viewed this as a stupid mindset that only weaklings could possibly possess, but now even she was starting to seriously doubt it.

With that in mind, she rose to her feet and turned back toward the ring saying, "Dammit, that boy's gonna get himself killed," racing toward the area while Machoke struggled to get free from Beedrill's grip, the wasp chuckling wickedly and exclaiming, "You're not going anywhere!"

However, just as things were about to get worse, Blaziken ran into the are, snapping, "COME ON, MACHOKE! THIS GUY IS NOTHING! HE MAY BE FAST, BUT HE'S LACKING IN MUSCLE, AND MUSCLE IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE PLENTY OF!" everyone staring at her as Machoke blinked, his eyes narrowing as he said, "You're right..." Beedrill blinking and asking, "What good is that?" the lizard boy smirking and remarking, "Why don't you find out?" the boy grabbing hold of the wasp's stingers before leaping backwards toward the cage wall, Beedrill trying to flying away only to find himself unable to pry his arms out of Machoke's grip, receiving a hard blow to the back of the head once again.

Seeing his opponent in a weakened state again, Machoke knew better than to hesitate this time as he quickly lifted the wasp up by his shoulders, saying, "I may not know a lot about fighting, but I have heard enough about this move to pull it off," everyone wondering what he was going on about as he proceeded to propel himself off the mat, leaping high above the ring before flipping Beedrill upside down.

Riolu's eyes widened as he uttered, "I can't believe it... he's using that move..." Jolteon squealing, "THAT IS SO COOL!" the students watching this not sure where the instructors were coming from as Machoke said, "This was a move my dad used to end a lot of his matches, so I know this should be enough to finish you off," the boy grabbing hold of Beedrill's stingers and pulling on them to lock his arms in place, wrapping his ankles around the wasp's neck before descending toward the ring stating, "It's a little incomplete. My father would also lock the legs in place, but since I don't have four arms, I'm gonna have to count on this," Beedrill clearly too shocked by this to retaliate as the boy barked, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!"

Before anyone could even blink, Beedrill's head was slammed hard against the mat, all going silent as the wasp closed his eyes, a green liquid coming from his mouth as Machoke released his hold on him, allowing the rest of him to fall to the mat, the bug now unconscious. With that, a mechanism activated on the ring, sensing the match was over as the cage was quickly removed, the students all cheering wildly, applauding the boy.

"That was so cool..." Gardevoir uttered, "I wonder if I could pull off a miracle like that..." Gallade replying, "You probably can if you try hard enough," Riolu taking a deep breath, thinking, 'Maybe he does have the potential to reach his father's level. But I'm surprised he was able to pull that move off just from hearing about it.'

Machoke slowly sauntered out of the ring, a couple of security guards racing into the area and cuffing Beedrill's arms, legs and wings, carrying him out of the area, Gardevoir racing to Machoke's side and giving him a hug, squeaking, "I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!" Machoke's eyes widening as he grunted, "Thanks for the concern, but you're hurting me!" the girl releasing him and blushing brightly, uttering, "Sorry..." Gallade giving him thumbs up.

Machoke then looked toward Blaziken, the chicken taking a deep breath and walking toward him, patting him on the shoulder with a grin saying, "Good job," Machoke's eyes widening briefly before a smile formed on his face, the boy nodding and saying, "Thanks," Blaziken shaking her head and remarking, "All I did was say a few words of encouragement. That victory was all you," Riolu more than happy to see them finally getting along.

And so the next month passed by and was certainly a lot better. After winning his first match, Machoke was feeling a lot more confident in himself and as such was performing rather well and building up his strength. Gardevoir had been inspired by Machoke's win just enough to have more confidence in herself, though her skills remained passable, only now she no longer hesitated to try them out. Blaziken of course still considered Machoke her rival, only now she was proud to have him as a rival and now, she was less focused on outdoing everyone and now concentrated simply on improving her skills and letting nothing else distract her.

Of course during this time, Machoke had become good friends with her, Gardevoir and Gallade and was actually kind of glad he had been forced to enlist in this school. So far, it was helping him improve not only as a fighter but as a person.

When the final day came, everyone was assembled outside of the building, Riolu smiling at the students and saying, "Well, this truly has been a good month, hasn't it? All thirty-two of you have improved so much since you came here. Some of you showed great promise from the get-go and continued to keep that promise. Most of you struggled a bit but still proved yourselves worthy of fighting on Earth. We did unfortunately lose one, but we have not let that discourage us. As such, your training has come to an end," the students grinning and cheering, Machoke sighing, "Thank god it's all over..." Blaziken saying, "As much as I hate to admit it, even I'm glad it's over."

However, everyone's positivity left them when Riolu added, "Now it's time for your final test," all going silent as Gallade spat, "Didn't you just say training was over!?" the cyborg with the magnets replying, "He said TRAINING was over," Riolu nodding and replying, "Right you are, Magnemite," the cyborg implying a smile with his eyes seeing as he had no visible mouth as Machoke muttered, "Know-it-all," the dog adding, "Now that training is over, you still need to pass your final exam, one that you've been preparing for."

"Oh, is it multiple choice?" Gardevoir asked, everyone staring at her as one of the students said, "That's like something Machoke would ask?" Machoke remarking, "What's that supposed to mean?" Riolu sighing, "It's not a written exam. No, each of you will going up against one of the heroes of my generation. We need to make sure you're prepared for the villains on Earth, and if you can't defeat any of us, then how are you supposed to defeat the very beings who have been dominating us for the last while?"

"You know, he does have a point," one student said, another nodding and adding, "Yeah, if anything, this is the perfect way to test our skills."

However, what surprised most of the students was that Machoke didn't seem the least bit scared, Blaziken saying, "Wow, I'm shocked... you're not trying to run away," the boy grinning and replying, "Of course not. Even I can beat an oldie with ease," his friends face-palming as Gallade sighed, "How did I know he was gonna say that?"

Riolu then pointed behind him at four rings saying, "We will hold four matches at a time. Anyone who loses will not graduate and will have to undergo training for another month. When you decide to go is up to you, but if none of you volunteers in the next minute, I will choose at random who goes first," Blaziken smirking and remarking, "You're too generous," the chicken racing toward one of the rings and leaping over the ropes, landing gracefully against the mat as Machoke said, "It's amazing how spirited she is."

After that, three others entered their own separate rings, one student being a grey bipedal creature with a dark purple nose. Bulbous protrusions of skin came from both sides of his head, the front being on the top and the back one on the bottom, and parts of his body had pink vein-like protrusions. This boy was named Timburr.

"Alright, give me all you got because I'm ready!" the boy exclaimed, flexing his muscles, which were rather big considering his small stature. Just as he said this, a small part of the mat lowered itself before rising up with a fighter in a cloak appearing, said fighting pulling it off as everyone gasped at the sight of a dark blue frog standing tall and proud, her arms folded as she had a serious look in her eyes. He webbed hands consisted of three fingers while her feet only had two toes.

"You must be the famous Greninja, am I right?" Timburr asked, the frog nodding and asking, "I hope you're ready because I am not going to hold back," the ninja striking a fighting stance, her opponent smirking and remarking, "Bring it on!" Machoke staring in a bit of disgust when Greninja prepared for the battle by whipping out her tongue and wrapping it around her chin and mouth, using it as a scarf.

More opponents came up for the other students, but of course, Machoke and his friends were more interested in who Blaziken was righting, the chicken smirking when she noticed her match was with a buffalo sporting an Afro, two long horns sticking out the sides of the hairdo. Blaziken had always dreamed of facing this particular fighter, so she felt like the luckiest student there.

"It is an honour to finally meet you, Bouffalant," Blaziken said with a grin, "My mom told me scary things about you," the bison nodding and saying, "Your mom was a great fighter, but she couldn't hold a candle to me. Let's see if you can manage that."

Before this match could start up, though, Timburr had already started his as he raced toward Greninja shouting, "LET'S SEE HOW YOU HANDLE HANDS THAT CAN BREAK THROUGH WOOD!" the boy propelling himself off the mat and aiming a karate chop toward the frog's head only for the ninja to vanish, Timburr's eyes wide with shock as she appeared behind him saying, "Your form is sloppy," the ninja sending her own karate chop to the back of his head.

Before Timburr could even respond, the ninja vanished again, this time appearing over his head and sending her foot into his skull, knocking him down and sighing, "Strength means nothing if you can't hit your target."

Timburr grunted, ignoring the pain to his head as he remarked, "What good is speed if your hits are super weak?" getting up quickly and swinging his body around, attempting another karate chop only to end up missing, his eyes wide open with shock as the ninja once again appeared in another area, only this time she was standing atop the turnbuckle as she said, "You definitely need another month here," unravelling her tongue and sending it straight at Timburr, latching it around his body as he found himself unable to get up, the ninja saying, "Seems like I'm not as weak as you think," the ninja using the tongue to hurl him high above the ring, leaping up and latching her legs to his sides, flipping herself 180 degrees, Timburr's head facing the mat as she spat, "NINJA FRANKENSTEINER!" slamming his head hard into the mat and knocking him out cold, Machoke's jaw dropped, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Now he was scared. Clearly these old fighters couldn't be taken lightly.

Blaziken simply stared at this with interest as Bouffalant smirked, saying, "Yeah, I'm gonna be fighting with that level of aggression, too," the chicken nodding and raising her fists for a fighter's stance, the match starting up with Bouffalant wasting no time charging toward the bird. Blaziken tried to dodge only for the bison to graze her left ankle with his right horn, the chicken crying out in pain and falling on her knees, the buffalo coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her neck for a sleeper hold.

Machoke whimpered at the sight of this as Gardevoir asked, "Is she going to be okay?" Gallade sighing, "We'll see, sis, we'll see," patting his sister on the shoulder.

Blaziken grunted and decided to risk extra pain from his attack as she rose her right fist, ramming it hard into the buffalo's nose, causing him to release his hold as he rubbed the spot, the chicken sending a roundhouse toward his face only for the bovine fighter to blocking the incoming talons with his hoof, knocking her on her back and kneeling over her, sending a series of punches into her face, Machoke covering his eyes and whining, "I can't watch!"

However, after a few blows, Bouffalant was shocked to see Blaziken blocked the next two with her hands, grabbing hold of his hooves while saying, "You really are as tough as they say, but that's not good enough to stop me," the bison growling and muttering, "You cheeky little..." the bison using her own grip on his hooves to his advantage, Blaziken's eyes going wide as he rose her up high enough to lock her arms around his horns and charged toward one of the turnbuckles shouting, "BUFFALO STAMPEDE!" ramming her back hard into the turnbuckle as she coughed up a bit of blood.

As the bison backed up, a smirk on his face, Machoke stared at this asking, "What is wrong with that guy?" Gallade sighing, "Bouffalant used to be a villain and they say that aggression and passion to beating the pulp out of his opponents never left him even after he turned good," Gardevoir whimpering, "That's horrible..."

However, Blaziken didn't seem the least bit shaken up by this as she shook off the pain, maintaining focus as Bouffalant's eyes widened, the chicken saying, "Don't worry, guys. I'm glad he's not holding back just because it's a fight between heroes. This is how most villains fight, so if anything, this is better training than I could have ever asked for," Bouffalant smirking and saying, "I like you, kid. You got a lot of fighting spirit, but even so, I'm still not holding back," Blaziken replying, "I wouldn't want it any other way."

With that, Bouffalant rushed toward the chicken with his horns lowered, shouting, "BUFFALO STAMPEDE!" once again, Blaziken smirking and leaping up just in time to grab him by his horns, a grin on her face as she said, "Unfortunately for you, I was raised in a barn," her legs lighting on fire as she propelled herself above his head while still holding on his horns, positioning her feet so they were aimed at the back of his neck.

Bouffalant was actually terrified now as the chicken exclaimed, "BLAZE KICK!" sending her feet hard into his neck as he coughed up a bit of blood, falling hard on his face. Sure, he hadn't taken in a lot of damage during the fight, but somehow this one move was still enough to knock him unconscious as Blaziken's victory was official, the chicken raising her fist in the air, Machoke and Gardevoir both breathing a sigh of relief.

With that, Blaziken and another student who had won his match were the first two to officially graduate from Hero School. But one thing was still certain: this was still going to be tough for the remaining students, and no one wanted to spend another month in this school.

Seeing just how hard it would be, Machoke was still feeling scared as Gallade noticed three rings already being claimed and asking, "Hey, Machoke, you wanna go first?" the lizard boy uttering, "Actually, you can go ahead of me. I know you want to more, right?" a big nervous smile on his face as Gallade saw through his lie but pretended not to, shrugging his shoulders and replying, "You're so generous," walking toward the last ring with a confident look on his face, Gardevoir squeaking, "Be careful!"

Gallade folded his arms and waited patiently for his opponent, a chunk of the mat going under and rising up seconds later to reveal the boy's opponent. This seemed like a weird pick but Gallade took it very seriously nonetheless.

His opponent was a rabbit with a portly build and grey fur around most of his body. His midsection had a big fluffy belt of fur that was brown on the sides and yellow in the middle. Brown fur also covered his muzzle and feet, though the main feature that stuck out was that his ears were crowned with massive, muscular forearms, each one with a brown hand on the end. This hero was known as Diggersby.

"Howdy," the rabbit said with a grin, "You must be Kirlia's boy. I must say, she has a raised a fine son," Gallade grinning and replying, "You should see me in battle before you make such statements," Diggersby blinking before laughing and replying, "Guess you're right," using one of his ear arms to wipe a finger against his nose, Machoke saying, "He seems nicer than the others," Gardevoir whimpering, "I just hope Gallade can beat him."

With that, the match started up with Gallade immediately sprinting toward the bunny with his arms held out like those of someone holding a pair of blades out, Diggersby readying himself only for Gallade to dodge to the side at blinding speed. However, it seemed Diggersby was not as slow as he appeared for when Gallade sent his arms forward for an attack, the bunny turned and grabbing the boy's wrists with his ear hands.

Gallade's eyes widened with shock, Gardevoir equally surprised as the rabbit smirked, saying, "I've had lots of experience with quick opponents in my life, kiddo," the rabbit folding his regular arms and leaning backward, slamming Gallade head-first into the mat shouting, "EAR SUPLEX!"

Gallade tried to get up only for the rabbit to slam both of his fists into his skull shouting, "BUNNY HAMMER ARM!" Machoke wincing at the sight of this, Gallade's eyes spinning. However, he regained focus when he heard Gardevoir whimpering louder than usual, a confident grin forming as he said, "Don't worry, sis, I got this," Diggersby taken off-guard by these words as the boy quickly turned his body around, sending a strike toward the rabbit's chest.

Unfortunately, he still failed to hit the rabbit, Diggersby just barely grabbing his arm in time to avoid taking in damage. However, he noticed his ear hands bleeding a bit as Gallade asked, "Did you think these blade formations were just for show?" the rabbit saying, "They don't look too much like real blades, but I guess looks can be deceiving," the rabbit releasing his hold on the blade formations before wrapping his arms around Gallade's back, the boy's eyes widening as he uttered, "I really should have taken advantage of that..."

With that, Diggersby propelled himself off the mat, performing a series of vertical flips before slamming Gallade's head into the mat once again, the boy grunting in pain, really tired of this abuse as Gardevoir cried, "GALLADE!" Machoke and Blaziken also worried for his health.

Hearing his sister's cry, Gallade fumed and spat, "NO!" rising to his feet as Diggersby noticed this, saying with a grin, "I must say, I admire your spirit," sending his fists toward the only for Gallade to block the incoming punches with the blades on his arms, once again causing the rabbit's ear hands to bleed as he spat, "I SWORE THAT BOTH MY SISTER AND I WOULD GRADUATE AT THE END OF THIS MONTH AND SO HELP ME GOD, I'M GOING TO FULFIL MY PROMISE!" Diggersby reeling his ears back in pain as Gallade took full advantage of the opening, sending both blades across the rabbit's chest in an X formation shouting, "PSYCHO CUT!"

This caused the rabbit's chest to bleed, a perfect X forming where the blood was coming from as Diggersby fell hard on his back, his eyes and mouth wide open from the shock of it all. Gallade breathed heavily and wiped sweat off of his forehead before turning to his sister, Gardevoir looking at him with concern as he grinned, holding a thumb up and saying, "I did it, sis," the girl sighing, "Now I just hope I can help fulfil that promise..." Blaziken patting the girl on the shoulder and saying, "Don't worry, I'm sure you can do it."

Gallade slowly made his way out of the ring as Gardevoir gave him a hug, the two patting eachother's backs as Gallade looked deep into her eyes saying, "It's your turn now," the girl nodding and entering the ring, feeling nervous beyond compare but trying not to show it. After all, she had to at least win this one match for her brother.


	3. Chapter 3

Gardevoir stood in the ring, taking a deep breath and hoping to get this over with fast. Her heart was racing a mile a minute and she was not completely confident in her abilities. Sure, Gallade had told her several times that she was stronger than she believed and that he admired her talents, but she still had trouble casting aside her doubts.

Either way, it was too late to turn back as her opponent rose up, Gardevoir's eyes going wide with terror. Like Machoke, she had never been in a serious fight in her life and now here she was standing face-to-face with what she could only assume was her polar opposite. This woman was a hulking dinosaur-like figure with large rat-like ears and a horn atop her head. Her skin was light-blue save for her lower belly, breasts and chin, which were white. With spikes going along her back, this woman was known as Nidoqueen.

Seeing that Gardevoir's opponent had such a tough physique, Gallade looked a little worried as Machoke noticed this, asking, "Is that fear in your eyes?" Gallade shaking his head and sporting a more serious look remarking, "No, I was just... shocked is all!" before noticing a similar-looking being with purple skin and a longer horn exclaiming, "Don't go easy on her just because she's a student, okay, sis!?" Nidoqueen rolling her eyes and remarking, "Of course I'm not going easy on her, stupid!" the brother being Nidoking.

Gardevoir blinked and said, "So your brother's here to watch you too," Nidoqueen sighing, "Yeah, though unlike your brother, he does it because it's his job," Nidoking remarking, "That's not true! I care about your health and well-being!" Nidoqueen snickering as Gardevoir suddenly realized the two were just teasing each other and didn't really have a bad relationship.

With all said and done, Nidoqueen got ready before rushing at Gardevoir, the girl unsure of how to respond as the dinosaur sent her claws toward her, Gardevoir instinctively swaying to the side to avoid the attack. The movements were graceful, but only because she had taught herself to always dodge like this. Her facial expressions made it clear that she was nowhere near as calm as the movements made her seem.

However, after she avoided the attack, Nidoqueen had left herself wide open as Gallade spat, "HIT HER WHILE SHE'S DISTRACTED!" Gardevoir nodding and taking her brother's advice, sending a back-handed slap to Nidoqueen's cheek. Unfortunately, the dinosaur-rat's body was just as strong as it looked so not only did this deal next to no damage to her, Gardevoir ended up taking in a light pain to her hand as she whimpered, backing up and stroking the spot she had used.

"Geez, girl, I didn't think you were actually as delicate as you look," Nidoqueen grunted, not even feeling the slap as Gardevoir whined, "Gallade, I can't do this!" Gallade sighing, "Don't say that. Remember, if physical attacks don't work, try internally damaging your opponent."

Gardevoir took a while to realize what he meant before remembering him teaching her how to harm an opponent on the inside, the girl nodding and saying, "Right," Nidoqueen charging at her again saying, "Good to see you haven't lost your cool just yet. I'd hate to wipe the floor with a wimp," Gardevoir putting on a more serious look as Nidoqueen attempted to grab her, the girl once again swaying to the side and gracefully dodging her, grabbing hold of the dinosaur's arm and with both hands and using them to twist her wrist.

"Oh, I get it now," Machoke said with a grin, "If she can't harm her skin, she can at least harm her bones, right?" Gallade nodding and saying, "Yep, that's the plan," Blaziken sighing, "I hate to burst both your bubbles, but this doesn't seem to be working."

The boys started to panic when they noticed what the chicken meant. While this did seem to be slightly more effective than her slap earlier, Nidoqueen still didn't seem to be feeling any pain as she proceeded to lift up her free arm, pulling in the arm being twisted as a means of bringing Gardevoir closer so she could connect a hard punch to the girl's face, causing her to back up.

No one could believe what they were seeing. Gardevoir had only taken in one punch and she was already coughing up blood, the girl holding out her hand to catch some of the droplets, her eyes going wide as she breathed heavily. As if this wasn't bad enough, Nidoqueen still didn't seem the least bit weakened.

"I don't get it..." Machoke uttered, "I'm not an expert or anything, but shouldn't Nidoqueen have taken in a bit more damage to her arm by pulling it inward like that?" Blaziken nodding and replying, "Yes, I'm sure she did, but Gardevoir's not strong enough for it to make that much of a difference," Gallade glaring at her until the chicken sighed, "I'm just telling it like it is. No offence, but your sister is nowhere near as powerful as you are."

"No, you're wrong," Gallade remarked, Machoke saying, "Look, I like your sister too, but..." Gallade shooting him a scowl and stating, "I'm telling you, she's a lot stronger than she looks right now! She's not even unleashing her full power yet! You'll see, when it happens, you'll be amazed!" Blaziken and Machoke not even sure how to respond to this. On one hand, Gallade was her brother and likely knew her better than anyone else, but on the other hand, if Gardevoir really had such power, why was she not using it?

Gardevoir seemed to be lacking even more confidence than Machoke and Blaziken right now. Whatever this great power was, she didn't seem to know of its existence either. Physical attacking had done next to nothing and trying to deal internal damage was not much of an improvement. As if things could not get any worse, one hit, something her brother could have easily shrugged off, had caused her to bleed. It was only natural that the girl would be terrified out of her mind right now.

"I hate to beat you so easily, but I have a job to do and I doubt any of the villains on Earth would show you sympathy," Nidoqueen said, folding her arms, "so please, I beg of you, don't take this personally," the dinosaur charging toward Gardevoir once more with her elbow pointed forward, the girl closing her eyes and screaming, "NO!" holding up her hands to block the incoming strike.

Everyone stared in absolute shock as Gardevoir's manoeuvre had actually worked. Nidoqueen was applying all of her might and yet somehow, Gardevoir was actually managing to hold her back. However, the people watching couldn't help but notice a violet aura surrounding her hands, Gardevoir opening one eye to see why she hadn't been sent flying yet, her other eye following as both were wide open in absolute shock.

As if this could not get any stranger, Gardevoir proceeded to force Nidoqueen away from her, the dinosaur's back running into the turnbuckle. The girl pursed her lip as Gallade exclaimed, "SIS, THAT WAS AWESOME! KEEP IT UP!" Blaziken and Machoke staring in shock, Machoke's shock turning to excitement as he rose his fist shouting, "YEAH, DON'T STOP!"

Gardevoir's confidence returned just a little bit. Strangely enough, she had no clue how she had pulled that off, but right now, she had a promise to fulfil and she was not going to fail without trying her hardest. With that in mind, she held up a defensive stance as Nidoqueen smirked, saying, "Well, looks like you got some fight in you after all," the dinosaur once again rushing in recklessly, Blaziken saying, "At least now Gardevoir can finally take advantage of Nidoqueen's sloppy fighting style," the girl not dodging but allowing Nidoqueen to close in on her, sending a palm punch hard into her midsection. Nidoqueen's eyes widened as the blow provided enough force to send her back a bit, the dinosaur-rat actually feeling pain this time.

Everyone was truly amazed as Gardevoir had stopped bleeding at the mouth, the girl taking a deep breath and smiling, letting down light tears and sniffing, "I might actually be able to do this," Nidoqueen barking, "Don't act like you've won yet!" the dinosaur once against charging toward the girl, Gardevoir ready to end this as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and keeping her palm open. She remembered a move that Gallade had taught her, a powerful finisher that she could actually use. It was the only advanced move she could pull off, but she knew it would be enough.

With that in mind, she waited for just the right moment as she propelled herself off the mat, shouting, "MOON..." kicking just slightly above Nidoqueen's chest and actually managing to catch her off-guard before allowing herself to fly past the dinosaur, pressing her arm right up against the rat's neck, her eyes wide with shock as Gardevoir ended with the word, "HOOK!" pulling Nidoqueen downward until her back hit the mat hard, Nidoqueen's eyes wide with shock as she was out cold.

Machoke bit his lip, tears welling up in his eyes as a big smile crossed his face, the boy exclaiming, "WAY TO GO, GARDEVOIR!" everyone else truly amazed by this as Blaziken smirked, saying, "You were right. Your sister's good, though she was cutting that a little too close, don't you think?" Gallade shrugging and replying, "Yeah, not sure why, but she always waits a long time to use that power. I always figured it was to lower her opponent's guard and let them waste their energy on her weak state."

The sad truth was that Gallade was way off. This was not a means of deceiving the opponent as Gardevoir was not knowledgeable enough of her power to use it for that reason. In fact, she had absolutely no idea she had it and even now, she was secretly wondering where all that strength had come from. Even so, she could not have been happier right now. This guaranteed that she and her brother would be fighting on Earth, even if she was hoping her brother could handle all the dirty work for her.

With all said and done, the girl exited the ring, Gallade giving her a big hug while Machoke and Blaziken patted her on the back. Riolu took a deep breath and said, "She certainly has Kirlia's power, but she clearly doesn't know how to use it yet," Nidoking asking, "Do you think we should keep her here for another month?" the dog shaking his head and replying, "It seems like a good idea, but rules are rules. She passed the final exam, so it would be unfair to keep her from returning to Earth."

After a few more matches, it was finally time for the four final students to go up and give it their all. Machoke was trembling, feeling beyond nervous as Blaziken gave him thumbs up saying, "Come on, man, I know you got this," Gardevoir nodding and saying, "If I can do it, you can too," Machoke laughing nervously and sighing, "Right," grinning and nodding, the boy feeling a little bit more confident in himself. After all, he had defeated a villain under an injury. If he could pull that off, how could he possibly lose to someone at least twenty years older than him?

With that, the boy waited for his opponent, thinking, 'Who could it be? I hope it's not Graveler... please don't let it be Graveler!' the piece of the mat rising up to reveal quite possibly the biggest shocker anyone could ever see. Even Riolu was surprised to see this man standing there right now, a man with four arms, blue skin and white fish lips.

"Oh my god..." Blaziken uttered, Gallade asking, "Is that...?" Gardevoir adding, "They look similar to each-other..." Machoke blinking, his eyes widening, everyone nodding in understanding. After all, his father had a stellar reputation and if Machoke was going up against him, one could only imagine how bad this could be.

However, Machoke didn't seem all too afraid as he pointed at the man before him barking, "HEY, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED MOM'S BEEN ABOUT YOU!?" the man retorting, "WHAT WAY IS THAT TO TALK TO YOUR FATHER AFTER SO LONG!?"

Everyone stared in confusion as Machoke seemed more annoyed than terrified, the boy sighing, "Dad, you left us two months ago without saying anything. At first we thought it was another one of your business trips, but since when do business trips last more than a week?" Machamp sighing, "I'm sorry to worry you both like that, but, see, I had a feeling I'd have to face you in combat to prepare you to face evil someday and I wanted to be ready, so I went off to train somewhere," everyone nodding, figuring this was certainly a good reason until Machoke sighed, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Everyone was confused by this response. Was this ignorance or denial? Well, it seemed Machoke was in the right state of mind when he smirked, saying, "Knowing you, you probably just wanted a vacation from parenting and decided to head off to Earth so you can spend time in Hawaii, didn't you?" Machamp's eyes widening, his face beet red as he remarked, "No, of course not!" Riolu groaning, "He's still a terrible liar after all these years," everyone else in the area giving dumbfounded looks. This man was the greatest hero of his time?

"I hate to say it, but your son's got a point," Riolu grunted, folding his arms, "While you've been off having the time of your life, evil has reared its ugly head again and we all got our butts kicked while you didn't even attempt to help us," Machamp remarking, "Well, if the new villains dealt with you so easily, what chance could I possibly have?" the students all in utter shock at this man's behaviour.

The man then took a deep breath and turned to his son saying, "Listen, son, it's true... I went off to have a vacation the month I left, but I was planning to return on the second week. However, it was this time that I'd heard that villains were starting to run rampant and that my friends couldn't stop them. I figured the Hero Planet government would start training a new generation of heroes, so I spent the last month and half preparing myself to face you in battle. I even paid one of the officials to make sure I would be your opponent no matter when you chose to go up or what ring you picked."

Machoke could see in the man's eyes that this was actually true. With that in mind, panic filled him as he spat, "OH NO, I HAVE THE FIGHT THE WORLD CHAMPION!?" the others barking, "NOW YOU SEE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION!?" Machoke running to the side of the ring barking, "Please, Mister Riolu, sir, he cheated to become my opponent! Surely you can pick someone else!" Riolu sighing, "I'm sorry, but as long as he's from our generation and he's your opponent, then it's official," Machoke letting down light tears as Machamp smirked, saying, "It is nice to see you at least realize how serious this is, but stop crying, boy."

Machoke looked up at him, the man folding his arms and adding, "The battles on Earth are far worse than what you will face today. I may have spent the last month-and-a-half training, but I have weakened just like my friends have over the years. If you fought me in my prime, I'd tell you to high-tail it and run, but I'm certain you'll stand a chance against me now, even if I am in tip-top shape for this match. Don't look at me as the man who bested the greatest villains of all time back in the day but instead look at me as a really strong sparring partner."

Machoke let out a sigh and remarked, "That speech wasn't as helpful as you think it was, but I do see your point," Blaziken grinning and giving Machoke thumbs up saying, "Come on, man, you won't know unless you try," Gardevoir and Gallade nodding as the boy took a deep breath, stating, "Alright, I'm ready."

However, Machoke still wasn't fully confident, but he knew it was too late now. Still, he certainly did not wish to spend another month and if he forfeited, he knew that would be the same as losing and that would have surely resulted in him having to stay another month. He just wished he could have gotten someone else as his opponent. Even Riolu would have been fine.

But while Machoke wished this match wasn't going on, everyone else was extremely focused on seeing how this would turn out. Even the other three students and their opponents had put their matches on hold to witness this spectacle, knowing it could very well be the last time these two would ever face each other in combat.

As the fight began, Machoke did not even hesitate to rush at his father, Machamp smirking as the boy sent a punch toward his face, Machamp blocking it with one hand and using the lower arm to punch his son in the gut, Machoke's eyes widening as he knelt down, clutching his tummy while his father walked behind him, wrapping his lower arms around the boy's neck while using his upper arms to hold his head in place.

"Oh my god, a four-armed sleeper hold..." Blaziken uttered, her eyes wide with fear, "Two arms is bad enough with that move..." Gallade saying, "Wow, he really is serious about this," Machoke already starting to lose his breath when suddenly, he remembered something very important, his eyes widening.

With that, the boy slowly rose his arms, placing them firmly against his father's lower arms as Machamp said, "All you're doing is adding to the pain, son," Machoke smirking and asking, "Am I?" everyone staring in confusion when the boy started rubbing his fingers lightly against his father's skin. Machamp blinked, biting his lower lip as light tears ran down his face, the man breaking out into hysterics and loosening his grip as Machoke proceeded to lift his arms up further, rubbing his fingers against his father's armpits until he finally let go, the boy proceeding to deliver a fierce karate chop to Machamp's face as he backed up, still laughing a bit.

"Something I haven't forgotten over the years if how ticklish you are," Machoke said with a childish grin, everyone staring in shock as Blaziken uttered, "I can't believe it..." Gardevoir squeaking, "Way to go, Machoke!" the boy taking a deep breath and saying, "I still got another ten seconds until you stop feeling it, so here goes."

Machamp was still laughing while holding his sides, shouting through laughter, "OH NO!" Machoke rushing at him and grabbing hold of his father's arm, swinging him toward the turnbuckle as the man ran head-first into it, his face now in a bit of pain as he groaned, his laughter finally stopping as he took a deep breath, shaking his head and turning toward his son with a look of anger before barking, "THAT WAS UNFAIR, YOU STUPID POO-POO HEAD!" Machoke remarking, "Just admit I'm a tactical genius," a smug look on his face as Riolu sighed, "Like father like son..."

Machamp let out a sigh and patted his cheeks a couple of times, remembering he had to be serious, Machoke's sudden burst of confidence leaving him almost instantly when he saw his father get serious again. Machoke was no expert on fighting and there was no way Machamp was going to try the same tactic again, especially now that he the boy knew a way out of it.

He did not have much time to think of a way to keep his advantage, though, as Machamp rushed at him saying, "You may have gotten out of that one, but try countering this," the man sending both of his lower fists at Machoke, the boy instinctively holding out his own hands to block the incoming punches. Unfortunately, this was what Machamp was hoping he would do as the man used his top arms to send two karate chops into the boy's shoulders, Machoke crying out in pain. With his guard dropped, he was no wide open as Machamp smirked and proceeded to send a flurry of punches into the boy's face and chest. Because he was using all four of his arms, Machoke was unable to retaliate as everyone stared at this, scared for the boy's well-being.

"Machamp really is something else..." Gallade uttered, Blaziken sighing, "I want Machoke to win, but maybe his dad was wrong about him standing a chance..." Gardevoir shaking her head and saying, "I believe he can do this," Gallade's fear turning to confidence. If Gardevoir truly believed he could win, there was no doubt in his mind that the boy could pull through somehow.

With that, Gallade spat, "COME ON, MACHOKE, LOOK FOR AN OPENING!" Machoke shifting his eyes around thinking, 'I don't see one...' before noticing Machamp starting to slow down, his eyes widening as he smirked, grabbing hold of two incoming punches, raising his father's fists up to block two more punches, thus causing the man to hurt himself.

Machamp's eyes went wide as he cried out in pain, blowing on the hands that were used to take the force of his punches, Machoke taking full advantage of this, remembering a move he'd picked up on during his training, the boy reaching his arms between each pair of arms and wrapping his arms around his father, lifting him up and leaning backwards, slamming his head hard into the mat thus performing a perfect German Suplex.

Everyone cheered for the boy, his eyes widening as he thought, 'They're actually cheering... for me!' Riolu thinking, 'He's finally feeling it, the thrill of the fight. Maybe he does have the potential to carry on the family legacy after all,' Machamp slowly rising to his feet and rubbing his head saying, "I'm proud of you son. It took me months to figure out how to perform something like that, but this isn't over yet."

The crowd went silent as the man rushed at Machoke, the boy attempting to strike only only for Machamp to block the incoming attack, shifting behind his son and reaching his arms under the boy's shoulders, propelling himself off the mat and raising his son high above the ring, everyone staring in shock as Blaziken uttered, "Oh no... he's going to use that move, isn't he?"

Everyone stared in absolute horror as Machamp flipped Machoke upside-down just like the boy had done to Beedrill. Unfortunately, because he had all four arms, this would be a lot more devastating and much more difficult to escape from, the man using his upper hands to lock Machoke's legs in place while using his lower hands to lock Machoke's arms. He then wrapped his ankles around the boy's neck and shouted, "SEE IF YOU CAN SURVIVE THIS, OUR FAMILY'S ULTIMATE FINISHING MOVE, THE MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!"

However, just as he was about to descend, his eyes widened as he suddenly released his hold on Machoke, the boy blinking but not questioning this for a second. He now had the advantage and there was no way he was going to lose this. As such, the boy grabbed hold of his father's ankles, using all his might to reverse their positions, Machamp's head now facing the mat. Machoke proceeded to lower his arms so he had them wrapped around his father's torso, Riolu uttering, "He's learned that move too?"

Machamp was unable to respond as Machoke proceeded to lift his legs over the man's shoulders, wrapping them around his upper body before barking, "ULTIMATE DRIVER!" sending Machamp's head hard into the mat, all going silent as the boy released his hold on the man, Machamp's eyes rolling to the back of his head as he coughed up a bit of blood, his back falling hard against the mat as everyone stared, no one making a sound.

Machoke was breathing heavily as he looked down at his father thinking, 'I knew he didn't have enough energy left to pull the Muscle Tombstone off, but that was still scary...' Riolu nodding his head before exclaiming, "There's no doubt about it! Machoke has defeated Machamp and has graduated from Hero School!" the area breaking out into heavy cheers and applause, Machoke feeling a strange rush from all of this attention. Riolu was right, he had finally felt the thrill of the fight and now he felt more than ready to take on any evil that threatened Earth.

"YOU ROCK, MACHOKE!" Blaziken exclaimed, Gardevoir letting down light tears, sniffing, "I'm just happy he's okay..." Gallade shouting, "YOU THE MAN!" Machoke smiling before remembering how critical his father's state was, the boy looking down and asking, "Are you okay?" Machamp coughing a bit, his eyes returning to their normal position as the man took many deep breaths, uttering, "I'm better than okay... I'm proud... proud of my son..." Machoke sighing and asking, "Want me to escort you to the nurse's office?" the man chuckling lightly and saying, "That sounds like a plan."

And with all said and done, the other three fights commenced and were over with soon, none of them generating the same amount of excitement that Machoke's match had. This had certainly been a successful day and Machoke felt more confident in himself than ever before.


	4. Chapter 4

After the final exams were over, it was finally time for graduation. The students who had bested their opponents would be sent to Earth while those who failed would be held back another month. Either way, this was an exciting day and the beginning of a new hope for mankind.

"Congratulations, all of you who graduated," Riolu stated while standing on a stage located outside the building, "Of the thirty-two students who joined, twenty of you have passed," the dog then pressing a button to bring up a screen with a map of various landmarks on it before adding, "A few of you will be assigned to specific locations based off of your performances. To make things easier, we will be assigning more than one to each area."

Just as he was about to continue, though, a young lizard-like man approached him while wearing a suit, tie and glasses and exclaimed, "Just a minute, my good sir!" Riolu blinking and asking, "Who are you?" the lizard remarking, "I think a better question is who are YOU!?" everyone staring in confusion, Blaziken sighing, "Is he serious?"

The young man proceeded to clear his throat, straightening his glasses before saying, "Now, see here, Mister Riolu, I am a representative of the national institute of schools..." Magnemite muttering, "That's not even a real thing," the lizard man adding, "and I have witnessed several violations from your so-called 'Hero School'!"

"Violations?" Riolu asked, tilting his head to the side as the lizard nodded and remarked, "Exactly, my good sir! First of all, if you're sending people to protect the entire planet while also sending more than one to each landmark, why were there only thirty-two students brought here instead of, I don't know, a hundred?" Gallade nodding and saying, "I have to admit, that's actually a good point."

Riolu took a deep breath and replied, "We were under a time limit and went with the biggest names that came to mind. Trust me, we're starting another semester this month with new students coming in," the representative retorting, "Unacceptable! You should have brought them here DURING the semester, but what's more, you should have ASKED if they wanted to come here! Have you ever even thought about the feelings of your students!?"

Riolu gulped, uttering, "The safety of mankind is much more important than-" the lizard man cutting it, barking, "What's more is that you put all these poor kids through horrible training at the ripe age of fourteen and, in some cases, fifteen! I am absolutely appalled by your ethics! And worst of all, you smell!" Riolu narrowing his eyelids and sighing, "Cut the crap, Machoke, I know it's you."

Gardevoir stared wide-eyed and squeaked, "That was Machoke?" the boy groaning and looking down, walking off the stage and muttering, "I'm keeping the outfit..." Machamp laughing nervously and patting his son on the shoulders saying, "Nice try," when the boy returned to his spot in the audience.

"With that little distraction out of the way..." Riolu stated, gazing upon the crowd to make sure no one else was going to try and interrupt his speech, the dog taking a deep breath and adding, "it is time to decide who will protect which area."

With that, the dog held up a sheet of paper handed to him by Bouffalant, clearing his throat and saying, "At the top of the class are two star pupils with a lot of promise!" pointing at a slender man with blue, rocky skin wearing a karate gi and having a black sideways Z representing his nose and left eyebrow.

Next to him was the other 'star pupil', a red man with a bulkier build and a black Y making his nose and eyebrows. He also wore a karate gi.

"Throh and Sawk..." Riolu said, pointing at the red one first and the blue one second to specify which one he was addressing with each name, "you have both been excellent students and have proven yourselves the best in the class. As such, I am assigning you two to protect Tokyo, Japan," the two grinning at one-another before bowing their heads in respect to Riolu.

The man then proceeded to assign more locations, saying, "Sandslash, Karachi, Pakistan. Ledyba, Bangalore, India. Lombre, New York City, USA."

The list went on, a few locations being repeated for different students while Gardevoir and Gallade looked at each other, hoping they would be assigned to the same location as Riolu stated, "Gallade, Tokyo, Japan!" Gardevoir biting her lip nervously as the dog added, "Gardevoir, also Tokyo!" the two breathing a sigh of relief, Blaziken coincidentally getting the same location.

Riolu all the while took a deep breath thinking, 'They seem to work best together. It only makes sense,' but just as he was about to put the list away, Machoke rose a hand and asked, "Um... what about me?" Riolu blinking and replying, "Oh, right, sorry, I almost forgot," the dog clearing his throat as Machoke frowned, folding his arms.

However, his frown turned to a grin as he thought, 'I wonder where he'll send me. Maybe I'll get the sunny beaches of Hawaii or even Florida. Maybe Paris, the city of romance, or maybe even Mexico... oh, the possibilities are endless!" Riolu clearing his throat and saying, "Tokyo..." Machoke exclaiming, "Aw yeah, I get to be with my..." the dog adding, "specifically this area here," pointing to a small little park on the map, Machoke staring in confusion and asked, "You mean I can't protect any other areas?"

Riolu nodded and replied, "I wasn't going to tell you this, but of all the graduates, you were the worst," all going silent, Machoke fuming and barking, "ARE YOU HIGH!? I DEFEATED THE FORMER CHAMPION! ISN'T THAT WORTH SOMETHING!?" Machamp nodding in agreement as Riolu narrowed his eyelids and remarked, "Yes, that is commendable, but it's not enough to make up for your disgraceful attitude, childishness and juvenile behaviour. You also weren't that good during the training exercises."

"But..." Machoke whimpered, "that area's so tiny..." Riolu replying, "But it's still worth protecting. Just last week, a villain stole some cigarettes from a shop within that area and I'm certain the owners would greatly appreciate you being there to keep them safe," the boy grumbling, "Fine..."

With all said and done, it was time for the students to head off toward Earth, spaceships lined up for the students to board as Machoke let out a sigh, trying to run away only for a group of security guards to force him through the door, Machamp asking, "Are you sure you made the right decision?" Riolu shrugging his shoulders and replying, "There's a reason I chose that specific location for him."

And for the next day, the students travelled through space before morning came along and they had finally reached Earth. Each graduate was dropped off as a specific house where they were assigned to live, and luckily for them, the Hero Planet government was paying for rent.

Gardevoir and Gallade were assigned to a condo suite, number forty-four to be exact. Blaziken had been given a nice little house to live in, the chicken liking this fine. However, Machoke continued to get the short end of the stick as he ended up being assigned a small shack shaped like his father's head with an open mouth in an O shape painted around the door, Machoke letting out a sigh and grumbling, "Great, it's like being swallowed by my dad. Who could ask for more?"

Upon entering, he was even more underwhelmed by the interior. All he had was a cot, a small TV, a stove top with no oven and a bag of rice with no cabinet to put it in. There was a drawer, but this looked like the kind used to store small object or paper in. Well, there was one other thing in this tiny shack, Machoke actually quite interested in this.

Right up against the Northern-most wall to the shack rested what looked like a treasure chest, Machoke walking over to it with a big grin, saying, "Alright, these must be my savings," thinking about just what to spend it all on before opening it up, a look of disappointment on his face when he noticed the box was filled with dumbbells in various sizes.

"What are you doing digging through my stuff?" came a little girl's voice from behind the boy, his eyes widening as he slowly turned, noticing a purple monkey with a white fist on the end of her tail standing right there, the chimp resting her hand against her side and scowling at him while stating, "It's very rude to break into someone's home, you know!"

"For your information, I was assigned to live here!" Machoke retorted with a look of annoyance, that look slowly turning to confusion when he noticed the monkey was staring at him with wonder in her eyes, the lizard blinking, walking over to her and waving his hand in front of her face, asking, "Hello? Anyone home?"

The monkey blinked a couple of times before touching the side of his face with her tail hand, uttering, "That physique, those ridges... there's no mistaking it..." Machoke cringing before prying the monkey's hand away from his face asking, "What is wrong with you?" the monkey falling to her knees and exclaiming, "Please forgive me! I didn't know I was in the presence of Machamp's son!"

'Man, my dad's even more famous than I thought,' Machoke thought before nodding and saying, "Yeah, that's me, alright, Machoke," the boy grinning smugly before flashing two thumbs up and adding, "I am here to protect Tokyo from evil!"

"But of course!" the monkey squealed, shaking his hand with her tail before adding, "Riolu sent me an email telling me you were coming," Machoke blinking before asking, "You know Riolu?" the monkey nodding and replying, "Yep. I'm Aipom, your new trainer!"

All went silent until Machoke broke it, asking, "What?" Aipom nodding and replying, "That's right, Riolu assigned me the task of shaping you up into the hero your father once was."

Machoke stared awkwardly at the monkey before asking, "How old are you?" Aipom stating, "I'm ten, but I turn eleven in June," Machoke nodding his head slowly and uttering, "Uh-huh... and is there a specific reason Riolu would pick you as my personal trainer?"

Aipom nodded before walking over to the drawer and opening it up, pulling out a photo of Machamp standing next to tall purple monkey with two tails, the hands on the ends of them looking more like flowers as she said, "That's my mommy, Ambipom," Machoke thinking, 'No one ever told me about her,' Aipom adding, "She used to train your daddy back in the day."

"So like me, you were forced into this because of your heritage," Machoke remarked, the monkey shaking her head and saying, "Oh no, I volunteered," Machoke grumbling cursed while thinking, 'Lucky stiff,' Aipom explaining, "See, like my mommy before me, I'm very knowledgeable in fighting skills and the like. I've studied many different styles, including your family's, so I know I can be a great asset to you."

Machoke nodded slowly and asked, "If this is true, why haven't you been trying to protect Tokyo?" the monkey sighing, "I may be knowledgeable, but I'm not exactly strong like you are," Machoke nodding and replying, "Oh, I see, so you're gonna use my muscles for your benefit," Aipom frowning and refusing to respond.

The boy simply let out a sigh and shook his head, getting up and heading toward the door as Aipom asked, "Where are you going?" Machoke replying, "Just gonna look around the city for a little bit," the monkey retorting, "No! You're assigned to this area! You can't leave the vicinity!"

Machoke simply rolled his eyes, heading out the door as Aipom sprinted over to him, latching her tail hand to his ankle and attempting to pull him back only for the boy to easily pry himself out of the hold, saying, "Man, you're not kidding about your lack of muscles."

But just as he was about to leave, Aipom sprinted in front of him, sighing, "Forgive me," clenching her tail hand into a fist and sending it straight into his crotch, Machoke's eyes going wide as he knelt down, falling on his side, the monkey sighing, "I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but Riolu did instruct me to let you protect the rest of Tokyo when I feel you're ready."

At that moment, Blaziken walked by and looked down at Machoke asking, "What's wrong with him?" Aipom gazing at the chicken and squealing, "Oh my god, you're Combusken's kid, aren't you!?"

Soon, Machoke was fully recovered as all was cleared up inside his shack, Blaziken letting down a nervous sweat drop and saying, "Sorry to hear that, Machoke," the chicken giving him a smile and adding, "But look on the bright side. At least it's not permanent," Machoke still looking peeved as he grumbled, "I wish I could leave this area sooner, though."

With that, the chicken headed toward the door and said, "Try to hang in there, okay, Machoke? Soon we'll be able to spend time together," exiting the shack as Machoke waved lightly, Aipom smiling and saying, "It's always nice to have friends visit," Machoke mockingly moving his lips on cue with hers.

During this time, Gallade and Gardevoir were getting to know the area together, the people not treating them as strangely as one might have expected. However, this was not a big surprise to them as aliens had been living on Earth since before their parents moved in and Machoke was the only graduate who had not grown up on the planet.

However, what did bother Gardevoir was all the stares she was getting from people, mostly young men, and with her carrying a purse in her arm with her, she was being especially cautious right now. Gallade noticed this and grinned, saying, "Well, look at you, Miss Popular already," Gardevoir asking, "Is that what's going on?" Gallade rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

At that moment, a tall and slender dog sporting an unbuttoned leather jacket and holding a can of beer walked out of a store, taking a sip of his beverage. His look was similar to that of Riolu only he had spikes coming out of his forepaws and chest, his torso covered in cream-coloured fur. He also had four ears as opposed to two and they looked more like hair than Riolu's did.

Gardevoir glanced briefly at him but then shook her head, remembering that other aliens did in fact live on Earth, and not just those who trained on Hero Planet either. However, she and Gallade both failed to notice a young man creeping up behind her, reaching for her purse when suddenly, the dog dashed right to where the man was, ramming him hard in the face with his elbow.

Gardevoir slowly turned, her eyes wide with shock, Gallade looking at the man and taking a deep breath and turning to the dog, saying, "Thanks, man," then looking at Gardevoir and sighing, "Sorry, sis..."

His blinked and asked, "What are you apologizing for?" Gallade replying, "Never mind," the robber slowly rising to his feet and barking, "What the hell, man!?" the dog giving the man a cold look, the human pulling out a gun and pointing it at him while snapping, "STAY OUTTA MY BUSINESS!"

Gardevoir gasped as the dog simply dashed right in front of the man, snatching his gun out of his hand and applying a firm grip to it, breaking it into tiny pieces, the man trembling and getting up, about ready to flee for his life when the dog shouted, "FORCE PALM!" sending a hard palm punch to the man's chest, knocking him unconscious while a blue aura briefly covered his paw.

Gardevoir was simply spellbound as the dog turned to her and said, "There, you should be safe, but be more careful next time," the dog turning as she squeaked, "Wait, sir..." the dog stopping and turning to face her, the girl adding, "What's your name?"

Gallade nodded, wanting to know this as well, the dog simply saying, "Lucario," the siblings introducing themselves as the dog nodded his head, turning away from them again and walking down the sidewalk, not seeming to have a destination in mind as he took another sip of his beer, Gallade uttering, "He looks kinda like Riolu, don't you think?" Gardevoir nodding and replying, "They're definitely related, but I didn't know Mister Riolu had a son," Gallade shrugging and replying, "Me neither."

Aside from the attempted theft, the rest of the day seemed rather peaceful. Not a single villain had revealed him or herself, so the streets were certainly safe to walk. This was rather strange with crime being at such an all-time high lately, but even so, Machoke and his friends were just glad they could enjoy their first day on Earth.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the peace was not going to last when three cloaked figures appeared right outside of Machoke's house, one of them grinning and saying, "Yep, this is where he lives," another figure adding, "This is going to be easy," the third saying nothing as one of the figures sighed, "Ya need to talk more."

"Say, how did ya find this place again?" the second figure asked, the first one replying, "I was just spying on this area undetected when I noticed Mister Champion being dropped off here. But remember, we have to make sure he walks into our trap."

The following morning was bright and sunny as Machoke awoke, stretching his arms and sitting upright in his bed, smacking his lips. His eyelids were still lowered a bit as he murmured, "Morning, Aipom..." looking next to him only to notice the monkey was not next to him.

The boy blinked, now fully awake as he shrugged, saying to himself, "She's probably watering the garden or something," the boy getting out of bed and looking around the house before remembering all they had was a bag of rice, a disappointed sigh escaping his mouth.

However, his thoughts shifted to something else when his eyes went wide, Machoke exclaiming, "We don't have a garden!" the boy racing outside and looking around, noticing Aipom was nowhere in sight. The nearby shop was closed, so there was no way the monkey was conversing with the owners. With all this in mind, a wide toothy grin crossed Machoke's face, the boy letting out a psychotic giggle before thinking, 'She probably went to buy groceries. Can't blame her. Damn house has nothing to offer.'

But most of all, this meant he now had an opportunity. With no one around, he could finally step foot outside of his property without needing permission, the boy slowly tiptoeing over to the sidewalk, his eyes shifting back and forth as he slowly reached on foot out, gently placing it against the sidewalk in front of his house.

When nothing happened, Machoke breathed a sigh of relief and sported a happy smile, marching along his merry way saying to himself, "Now let's see what I can do on this glorious day."

During this time, Blaziken was out for a trip to the local outdoor marketplace, looking at the selection when she noticed Machoke passing by, the chicken smiling and walking over to him, asking, "So, Aipom already decided you're ready?" Machoke shaking his head and signalling the bird to get close, whispering, "I snuck out," Blaziken snickering and remarking, "Don't you worry about how she'll respond to that?" Machoke shaking his head and replying, "Please, she only has one tactic that can work on me and I'm prepared for it."

As much as Blaziken cared about her duties on Earth, even she understood the desire to have fun every now and then. After all, the heroes were still teenagers.

While the two walked along, Blaziken noticed a sign advertizing a local expedition match being held in the local arena, the chicken pointing at it and asking, "Hey, why not see how humans fight?" Machoke groaning, "I don't wanna do that..." Blaziken smirking and nudging the boy, remarking, "C'mon, it'll be fun. I'll do whatever you wanna do afterwards, okay?" Machoke letting out a sigh and shrugging, figuring this was better than just wandering.

And so the two arrived at the arena, sitting in the middle row as Machoke sighed, "This better be worth it," Blaziken laughing and saying, "Come on, at least this isn't a serious fight, right?" the boy shrugging and replying, "I guess that's true."

What both failed to notice was the three cloaked figures from the other night sitting in the back row with one of them holding a tied up bag. Something seemed to be moving inside but the holder ignored this, knowing whatever it was could not get out.

The expedition match was between two teams with both fighters on each team in the ring at a time as opposed to following tag-team rules. While each team fought rigorously, putting their all into it, Machoke looked bored as he sighed, "Why did you drag me here, Blaziken? I can pull off more impressive moves than these guys," Blaziken sighing, "Who cares? It's fun," Machoke folding his arms and grumbling, "Maybe for you..."

Soon, the match was over as the referee held up the hands of the winners, exclaiming, "And with that, the match goes to Tokyo's reining champions, Genjuu and Kai!" the crowd cheering as Kai exclaimed, "WE ARE THE STRONGEST FIGHTERS IN THE WORLD!"

However, the lights suddenly went out in the whole building, a spotlight shining down on the ring as a voice entered the area, asking, "Is that so?" everyone looking around in a state of panic when another voice chimed in, "That's a very bold statement. Are ya sure about that?"

"Who said that!?" Genjuu spat, raising his fists with anger in his eyes, "Come out of hiding and say that to my face if you have the balls!" one of the cloaked figures leaping into the ring and saying, "As you command, your highness."

The two fighters glared at the cloaked figure as the two others entered the ring, the first figure holding his hand toward them and shaking his head, the two nodding and exiting the ring, standing by the side as Genjuu cracked his knuckles threateningly, smirking while saying, "Well, you definitely have balls, I'll give you that."

With that, both partners rushed at the cloaked figure, Kai racing around him so both could attack from behind. But just as they were about to strike, the figure threw an arm out into each one's chest, both sticking out of his cloak to reveal a pair of blade paws, Machoke and Blaziken both rather shocked by this as the owner shouted, "FORCE PALM!" a blue aura surrounding both as the fighter's coughed up blood, falling on their backs.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down," the figure said only for Genjuu to rise to his feet, fury in his expression as he spat, "I DON'T THINK SO, PUNK!" lunging at him only for the figure to dodge to the side, this time removing his cloak entirely so he could fight better, everyone gasping in shock at the sight of the blue dog who had met Gardevoir and Gallade the previous day, Machoke asking, "Is that Riolu?" Blaziken shaking her head and replying, "No, but he does look similar."

Before anyone could do a thing about this, Lucario had taken hold of the man's wrists and stood behind him, bending backwards to form an arch, Genjuu crying out in pain as the dog had his back pressing right up against the spike coming from his chest, the dog shouting, "LONDON BRIDGE!" his spike going straight through the man's back, everyone staring in absolute horror.

When Lucario released his hold on Genjuu, allowing him to fall on his side, there was no doubt about it. This man was dead, Kai trembling in absolute terror as Lucario folded his arms, asking, "Are you going to play hero too?" Kai shaking his head and fleeing from the area, the dog saying, "Smart man."

Machoke was still in shock from the sight of this when Blaziken rose up from her seat barking, "HEY, WHY NOT PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!?" Lucario and the cloaked figures looking up at her as she snapped, "Yeah, I'm talking to you!" Machoke blinking and saying, "Yeah, fight her, not the humans."

One of the cloaked figures smirked under his hood saying, "Ya see that?" another replying, "Yeah, hook, line and sinker. Didn't think he'd bring a friend with him though."

Machoke laughed nervously as Blaziken took a deep breath, exclaiming, "People of Tokyo, don't be afraid! I am Blaziken, a hero sent to protect Tokyo from the forces of evil, and this here..." pointing at Machoke who was trying to slink away, the boy's eyes widening when a spotlight shone on him, the chicken adding, "is my ally, Machoke, son of Machamp!"

Everyone perked up at the sound of Machamp's name. After all, Machamp was the greatest hero from his time, so the people could not help but cheer as Machoke bit his lip, wanting so much to bolt right now and wishing Blaziken had not introduced him.

"That's the one we came to see," one of the cloaked figures said, "Come on over here, boy. We got something of yours," Lucario nodding as the other figure handed him the bag, the dog opening it up to reveal that Aipom had been inside the whole time, Machoke staring in absolute shock.

"Hey, that's my roommate!" the boy spat, Aipom's eyes wide with shock as the boy added, "Let her go!"

The monkey could not believe it. Yesterday, Machoke seemed to want nothing to do with her and now he was speaking on her behalf, and she had done nothing to deserve this either. Perhaps Machoke did have the heart of a hero, though he still had priorities to sort out.

"Relax," one of the figures replied, "We'll return her to you, but only if you can beat us without her advice," Machoke's eyes going wide, the boy gulping as he looked at all the people in the area, noticing how much hope they had now that he was here, the boy putting on a serious look and shouting, "Bring it on!"


	5. Chapter 5

Things had certainly taken an unexpected turn. Machoke was ready to enjoy another day off from fighting and now he had to take on three villains in a row. However, one particular villain among them interested him the most.

"Before we start this..." the boy uttered, pointing at Lucario and asking, "who are you?"

All went silent as everyone stared at the dog who simply folded his arms and replied, "I am Lucario," one of the cloaked figures nodding and adding, "This guy here is the son of Riolu, so you'd better watch out!"

The crowd's eyes went wide with shock at the mention of Riolu's name, Machoke and Blaziken looking more confused than anything else. Lucario looked around and let out a sigh, knowing exactly where this was coming from as Machoke asked, "Riolu has a son? I've never heard mention of you," Blaziken nodding and replying, "Me neither."

Lucario took a deep breath as Aipom, who had been handed over to one of the cloaked figures asked, "But why? Why would you serve evil!?" Lucario taking a deep breath and retorting, "Oh, of course, I guess this was unavoidable!" the dog turning toward the monkey and bringing his face close to hers with a scowl.

"I see what this is-" he grunted, leaning back before exclaiming in sarcastic tone, "My dad was a famous hero, so that means his son must be one, too!" the dog returning to the calm tone he was using before and sighing, "I bet the only reason he doesn't talk about me is because he sees me as a disappointment. I'm fine with that, in all honesty."

The people still could not believe what they were hearing, Machoke asking, "So... wait, why did you decide to become evil? Was Riolu not a good father? I'll admit, I don't really care for the guy either..." Lucario sighing, "No, it wasn't that," Blaziken remarking, "Then what was it!?"

Lucario simply smirked, giving Machoke and Blaziken the most frightening look both of them had ever seen before saying, "Bad boys get everything!"

All went silent throughout the area, no one even knowing how to respond to this as Machoke scratched the side of his head, asking, "So, in all seriousness, what's your actual reason?" Lucario laughing and remarking, "That is my reason! Sorry it's not an epic back story full of hardships and suffering!"

"Hate to break it to ya, but our boy, Lucario, is bad to the bone!" one of the cloaked figures exclaimed, everyone at a loss for words. However, Machoke did not buy it. While everyone else took these words to heart, he had sensed a hint of falseness in what the dog had said but it was obvious Lucario was not willing to tell the truth.

"Okay, enough stalling," the other cloaked figure said, "You're new to the hero racket, I assume, so here's how this is gonna work," Machoke and Blaziken looking at each other, asking in unison, "How does he know that?" the cloaked figure clearing his throat and remarking, "May I continue, please?" the boy and bird turning back to him, pursing their mouths shut and nodding.

"Even we villains have a code of honour to uphold," the figure explained, "Our parents fought like this as have our families done for generations. Instead of having you fight all three of us at once, this will be a string of one-on-one matches. The battlefield-" the figure then pointing down at the ring all three villains were standing on.

"So it's just like the matches on Hero Planet..." Machoke whispered to Blaziken, the chicken nodding and replying, "This is common knowledge. This is how heroes and villains have been solving conflicts for ages. It's tradition."

"Since this is a fight between heroes and villains," the cloaked figure added, "there will not be any special rules implemented except for hits below the belt. Even we have standards," Machoke's eyes widening as he thought, 'Thank God!' the figure continuing to explain, "If you manage to defeat all three of us, we will submit to you, return your precious trainer and leave Tokyo for the time being. But if you lose, Tokyo is ours, got it?"

"I suppose refusing is the same as an automatic loss, right?" Machoke remarked, the cloaked figures both nodding in response to this as the boy sighed, "Well, it is for everyone's safety, so who am I to say no?"

"Spoken like a true hero," Blaziken said with a grin before looking down and noticing Machoke's legs were trembling despite the fact that every other part of him looked ready for combat, the chicken face-palming.

Despite his fear, though, Machoke knew how important this was. He had been put in a situation where he had little choice in the matter and he knew the villains were not going to agree to having Blaziken join the fight. As such, the boy slowly made his way over to the ring, taking a deep breath and climbing into it.

With that, Lucario reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, latching one cuff to the table and using the other to lock Aipom tail to it. He also pressed a button on that specific cuff make it bigger in case the monkey would be able to slip out of it.

"Alright, for the sake of fairness, we'll let ya decide your first opponent," one of the cloaked figures said as Machoke placed his hand against his chin, looking over the competition.

He definitely did not wish to take on Lucario. After seeing his power earlier, there was just no way. The cloaked figure standing to the right of him was almost as tall as he was, and Machoke could not help but find that intimidating. However, the figure on the left hand side was short, half Lucario's height in fact.

"Alright, I've made my decision!" Machoke exclaimed, a look of confidence on his face as he pointed at the cloaked figure on the left exclaiming, "You shall be my first opponent here on Earth!"

The figure snickered, a big grin and a pair of glowing eyes forming underneath his hood as he said, "You are very brave to have chosen me, Machoke!" the boy's confidence slowly fading when the villain removed his cloak, revealing an orange floating head that resembled a lightning rod. He also had blue oval-shaped eyes with a dividing line in the middle of each, but the most intimidating feature of all was a light blue aura surrounding him that made up a lightning bolt-shaped body.

"Nice to meet you," the head said, flashing a big smile and revealing his razor sharp teeth before adding, "I am Rotom!"

Now Machoke was scared, the boy trembling and thinking, 'That's what I get for judging off of size,' Aipom about to tell him to get a grip when Lucario turned to her, holding a finger up to her mouth and saying, "If you give him any advice, any king at all, we won't hesitate to strike you, got it?" Machoke nodding to the monkey and saying, "I don't wanna see you get hurt because of me."

A light tear rolled down the monkey's cheek after he had said that. She thought Machoke hated her and did not want her around, but perhaps her assumptions had been wrong.

Rotom then grinned and said, "I'll give you a little extra something to make this more fair," Machoke asking, "Are you going to hit let me hit first?" a look of hope on his face as the head folded his arms and replied, "No, even better. I'm going to give you a demonstration of my power so you know what you're in for!"

The people stared in wonder as Rotom floated over to Lucario, the boy nodding and pulling an orb out of his pocket, pressing a button on it as it sprouted a pair of robotic arms, Machoke thinking, 'That's a training orb. Where did he get one of those?' the orb flying at Rotom as the head smirked, dodging it with each before sending a surge of electricity through his body and sending a karate chop straight through the orb shouting, "THUNDER CHOP!" the electricity covering the orb and causing it to explode.

Machoke trembled, a look of absolute terror on his face as Rotom smirked, saying, "Sorry, I held back a bit there," Machoke exclaiming, "That's holding back!?" the boy wanting so desperately to flee for his life but knew it was too late.

With that, Blaziken finally took her seat, folding her arms and hoping that Machoke would win. Rotom may have been small, but he certainly seemed intimidating, Machoke looking him over to think of some way to get a good early lead.

A starting bell was rung as a young woman with short brown hair sitting behind a desk announced, "Let the match between Machoke and Rotom begin!" Machoke rushing at Rotom, the head grinning wickedly and sending electricity through his body only for Machoke to swerve to the right. Everyone stared in shock when the boy sent a karate chop right into the side of Rotom, the head's eyes going wide.

Just as Rotom attempted to counter the attack, Machoke once again dodged his aura and struck his side again, the crowd going wild as the announcer exclaimed, "What an incredible start to the match! Machoke is already dominating with only one simple move!" Rotom growling as steam shot from him.

"You made it obvious how to defeat you the minute you demonstrated your power," Machoke said with a smirk, "When you sent that karate chop into the training orb, your hand went right through it. It was at that moment I could tell that directing any attacks toward your body would be pointless," Rotom grinning and saying, "Not bad, Machoke, but I can still turn this around."

With that, Rotom rose up above the mat, Machoke blinking as Blaziken said, "It makes sense. Rotom's body is made of pure energy, so the laws of gravity don't apply to him," Machoke unable to respond as the head floated behind him, electricity coursing through him as he simply moved it right through his opponent, the boy's eyes widening, his mouth wide open as the electricity coursed through his veins.

The crowd gasped as the announcer stated, "Machoke had a good start, but Rotom's energy has gotten the better of him," Machoke falling to his hands and knees, breathing heavily as Rotom backed up, the bolts fading as he said, "The only downside to my electricity is it only lasts a few seconds at a time and needs at least ten to recover, but that's a small price to pay for such amazing power, no?"

This certainly seemed true as that one shock had left Machoke covered in burn marks, the boy already looking like he was going to collapse. Blaziken gritted her teeth angrily, Aipom wishing she could have warned him about that.

At that moment, Gallade and Gardevoir arrived at the arena, spotting Blaziken and running over to her, noticing the spot next to her was empty and sitting down, both breathing sighs of relief as Blaziken said, "Hey, guys," Gallade holding up his finger so he could breathe a little bit longer before saying, "We saw what was happening on TV and raced here as soon as possible," Gardevoir adding, "We missed the start of the fight. How's Machoke doing?"

Blaziken let out a light sigh and replied, "See for yourself," pointing at the ring, both siblings turning their gaze toward it and panicking at the sight of Machoke already looking so weak.

"Oh no, what happened?" Gallade asked, Blaziken sighing, "He just took in a huge jolt of electricity. Any human would have died from that."

However, Gardevoir's focus had shifted to something else, something that had been on her mind for a while. Since she and Gallade had seen the events leading up to the match's beginning, they had also witnessed their saviour perform the heinous act of ending an innocent human's life while also admitting to serving the side of evil. Gardevoir wanted answers as she also refused to believe the reason Lucario had given for his actions.

"I'm kinda disappointed," Rotom said with a sigh, "I thought the son of the world's greatest hero would put up more of a fight," Machoke not even moving as Gardevoir got up and exclaimed, "MACHOKE, DON'T GIVE UP! I DIDN'T GIVE UP WHEN MY MOUTH STARTED BLEEDING FROM ONE PUNCH, SO KEEP TRYING!" the boy hearing this as he shook his head, slowly rising back to his feet and taking a deep breath.

"MAN, that was terrifying!" he exclaimed, a distressed look on his face, "I thought my heart was gonna stop!" Rotom smirking and saying, "Good, I can still have a little fun with you," turning to Lucario and adding, "I know you probably wanted to face him, but it's our job to take care of heroes like him, so don't take it too personally."

Lucario simply folded his arms, looking less disappointed now that Machoke had recovered. But was it really as Rotom had predicted or was it something else?

Either way, Rotom was ready to deal more damage as Machoke held his right arm in front of his face, the head sending a karate chop into his arms saying, "I thought you already knew my body wasn't a solid mass," the electricity coursing through the boy's arm as he smirked saying, "Yeah, I just wanted you to waste your electricity."

Rotom's eyes widened as the electricity died down once again, Machoke using is left arm to grab hold of the head, lifting him high above his head before slamming him hard into the mat while the crowd went wild. The announcer whistled in admiration before exclaiming, "Just as it looked like Machoke was going to lose, he countered with an incredible choke slam!"

Aipom breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, 'He's doing a lot better than I thought he would,' Machoke's friends applauding him, Gardevoir breathing a sigh of relief. To make things better, Rotom looked even more shaken up from that one hit than Machoke did from the shock dealt to him earlier.

"Your fake body is strong," Machoke said with a smirk, "but your real body is small and weak! I bet I could finish you off with a single flick of my finger!" Rotom's eyes turning green, a scowl forming on his face.

Everyone stared in confusion as Rotom's body started to change. The spike atop his head extended to form a pole with an oval-shaped handle on the top. The head itself expanded in width, its height not increasing by a whole lot as the bottom portion tucked itself into the head, a pair of wheels popping out of his cheeks. A green aura surrounded him now with what looked like a rake coming from the lowest part of his front side. To top it all off, a big arch came out of the back, Rotom now having taken the form of a lawnmower, a fiendish grin on his face.

"What just happened?" Machoke asked, the announcer uttering, "Um... it looks like Rotom just transformed..." not completely understanding this herself.

"My lightning rod or normal form is actually my weakest state," Rotom explained, "I have five others, each one based off of an element. This is my mow form, which has the power of grass."

"You mean that green stuff that grows on a lawn?" Machoke asked, "How is that threatening?" Rotom sighing, "Oh god, you are seriously uneducated."

Machoke turned to Aipom, the monkey looking at Lucario as he shrugged, saying, "This doesn't count as advice, so go ahead," the monkey nodding before explaining, "All heroes are born with a different typing. Grass types have the power of nature on their side. Water types are water-based beings while fire types, like Blaziken, have powers based around fire," Machoke nodding and asking, "So what type am I?" Aipom replying, "Fighting," Machoke narrowing his eyelids and groaning in disappointment.

"What's wrong with that?" Aipom asked, Machoke remarking, "That sounds like such a lame type!" Gallade retorting, "Hey, I'm also a fighting type!" Aipom nodding and adding, "You're also part psychic," Machoke barking, "He gets TWO types!?" Gardevoir uttering, "I have two types as well."

"Yeah, yeah, so do I, are you done talking!?" Rotom grunted, clearly growing impatient now as Machoke sighed, "Whatever, even if I am just one simple type, I'm still badass, so it hardly matters," a smug grin on his face as his friends face-palmed.

With all said and done, Rotom headed toward Machoke with his blades running beneath him, Machoke asking, "Wait, if your blades are for mowing grass, how are you gonna get me under there?" the mower remarking, "With this! And unlike my aura before, this one can actually touch you!" his rake-like hand rising up and making a grabbing motion, Machoke panicking as he started fleeing for his life.

He knew that if that hand managed to get him, he would be pulled under and torn to shreds. He had to come up with something quickly. However, it did not take him particularly long to notice a solution to his problem, a smirk forming on his face.

With that, the boy leaped onto one of the ropes, propelling himself off of it and soaring over Rotom's body, the mower's eyes going wide as Machoke held out an arm, hooking the pole and placing a firm grip against it. After that, he lifted Rotom high above his head and leaned backward, slamming the machine's back hard against the mat.

The crowd went wild as Machoke got up, taking a deep breath before tauntingly smacking his butt toward the mower, asking, "Was that actually supposed to be an improvement? Seems like a downgrade to me!"

Rotom's anger had now reached its boiling point as he grumbled, "Alright, I'll admit, that did not go as planned!" his aura and eyes becoming light blue, an arm that resembled a wrench coming from the left side with one resembling a crab's arm coming out the right. Machoke was terrified to think of what the machine would become next, Rotom's body expanding into a washing machine with a spike at the top and a hose coming out of his back.

All went silent as Blaziken asked, "How's becoming a washing machine supposed to help?" Gallade snickering and replying, "He must be low on ideas," Gardevoir shaking her head and sighing, "I wouldn't be too quick to judge if I were you."

It seemed Machoke was thinking the same thing. Sure, it was hard to imagine how a washing machine could possibly be threatening, but considering what Rotom had been capable of up to this point, one could only imagine what he could do in this form.

"You seem quite intimidated by my Wash Form," Rotom said with a smirk, "Well, there's certainly no other like it," Machoke trembling until the machine added with a pleasant smile, "It removes the stains that no other washing machine can get out," the area going silent.

"So I really got nothing to worry about then," Machoke said with a smirk as he rushed toward the washer, Rotom sporting a wicked grin and thinking, 'That's right, just a little closer...' Machoke just about to punch him when the machine pointed his hose at the boy's face, spraying a bit of water into it as he was temporarily blinded, Rotom then attaching his wrench to Machoke's right arm, opening the door and stuffing the boy into it.

The crowd gasped when the door was shut, Machoke banging against the glass shouting, "LET ME OUT, YOU BASTARD!" Rotom laughing maniacally before shouting, "YOU'LL PAY FOR TAKING ME LIGHTLY!" as he proceeded to press a button labelled wash, the inside of the machine filling up with water, Machoke trying to keep himself from suffocating.

Once the entire inside was filled with water, Rotom proceeded to activate the spin cycle, Machoke spinning around as he had trouble holding his breath, his body ramming up against the walls and taking in pain. After a while, Rotom proceeded to open up the lid, Machoke's body flying out while still spinning, the boy running head-first into the turnbuckle as the crowd gasped.

"That looked painful!" Blaziken groaned, Machoke's face now bleeding as Rotom laughed, tauntingly saying, "Look on the bright side, kid. At least now you're sparkling clean!" his laughter becoming more maniacal as Machoke glared at him.

The boy took a deep breath and said, "Alright, that caught me off-guard, but I am NOT taking another one of your forms lightly, no matter how non-threatening it might seem!" Rotom asking, "You sure about that?" his eyes and aura turning yellow as he took the form of a wind fan, two arms shaped like gusts of wind coming from his sides.

Machoke looked at this for a few seconds, a light bulb turning on in his mind as he grinned, saying, "All I gotta do is avoid being in front of you," the boy running toward Rotom while also directing himself sideways, knowing that a wind fan could only blow the way it was facing.

"You are thinking logically, and I applaud you for that," Rotom said, "but unfortunately, this isn't any ordinary fan," the blades spinning as a gust of wind came out, Rotom holding his arms in front the wind, placing on in front of the top part and the other on the side, redirecting the blast to where Machoke was headed.

The crowd stared in absolute horror as Machoke couldn't dodge in time, the wind picking him up. But rather than sending him flying like everyone assumed it would, it instead formed into a mini tornado, shooting the boy high above the ring.

Gardevoir clasped her hands against her mouth, Blaziken and Gallade closing their eyes as Rotom pointed the fan blades toward the mat, using the wind to launch himself up to Machoke's level, pointing his face toward the roof and reaching his arms back, grabbing a hold of the boy. With that, he proceeded to shout, "TORNADO DRIVER!" shooting a burst of wind toward where he was facing and spinning his body around, slamming Machoke hard into the mat, all going silent as the machine let go, taking a deep breath.

Machoke lay there, clearly in deep pain as Rotom said, "It's a shame. I was hoping I'd get to at least use all six of my forms on you," the machine shrugging and adding, "Oh well, at least I finally took care of you."

The one villain still cloaked let out a disappointed sigh and said, "I'm with ya, Lucario. I wanted to face him too," Aipom biting her lower lip, praying this was not the end. The crowd was thinking the same thing, Gardevoir holding her hands together and praying that Machoke would come out of this okay.

"This is a dark day in Tokyo for sure," the announcer said, "As was the agreement, if Machoke loses, the villains rule. Hopefully the boy can get up."

As Machoke continued to lie there, Gallade gulped and put on a serious look, shouting, "Machoke! Machoke!" Gardevoir nodding and doing the same, Blaziken joining in shortly after. The crowd heard this and started to do the same. There was no way they would sit back and do nothing while Machoke had been risking his life for them. Aipom wanted to join in as well, but she knew that would count as helping.

Lucario simply had a neutral look on his face, almost as if he was unsure how to feel about this, Rotom laughing and saying, "These people are so stupid!" his eyes going wide when he heard the sound of something slapping the mat, turning around to notice the source of this was Machoke's hands.

The boy grunted, slowly pushing himself up, breathing heavily as the crowd stopped chanting his name, silence filling the area as Machoke eventually managed to get to his feet. His heavy breathing continued, but he now looked more confident than ever before, a smile crossing his face as he was thankful for everyone's support.

Rotom's fear soon turned to a creepy delight as he smirked, saying, "Well, seems this match isn't over yet," Lucario looking strangely relieved as Aipom stared at him, the dog quickly going back to his neutral look.

But why did he look pleased by Machoke's recovery? Was this really a matter of him wanting to fight the boy or was there more to this? Aipom and Gardevoir were both having a lot of trouble figuring this out.

Before Rotom could do a thing in response to Machoke's recovery, the boy charged toward the machine and spat, "ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT! I'M REALLY PISSED OFF NOW!" Rotom's eyes going wide when Machoke crossed his arms, sending a cross chop to the fan and sending him flying into the turnbuckle.

The crowd broke out into heavy cheering as Rotom started to sputter a bit. However, he refused to let this discourage him as he said, "I'm glad you recovered, Machoke, because there's something I want to show you!" his eyes and aura turning red, two hands shaped like oven mitts forming on each side of him as he shifted into an oven.

"Okay, I know damn well what an oven does, so there's no way in Hell I'm letting you get me with that!" Machoke exclaimed as Rotom started hopping toward him, a big grin on his face as Machoke dodged to the side, rushing behind the machine and wrapping his arms around him.

However, it seemed Rotom had wanted him to do this as he placed a firm grip against the boy's hands, Machoke in full panic mode again. The machine proceeded to lift him up over his head without much difficulty and opened up his lid, stuffing Machoke into it as the crowd gasped. Gardevoir trembled and whimpered, the others unsure of what the boy could do now, the inside of Rotom heating up as Machoke had no way of escape. Was this it? Was Machoke going to be burned to a crisp?


	6. Chapter 6

"After a miraculous recovery, it seems Machoke's comeback did not last long," the announcer uttered with fear in her eyes, "He's now been stuffed into a giant oven with no way to escape."

Everyone the woman had said was true. Machoke was likely to burn to a crisp and there was nothing his friends could do to stop this, Aipom letting down tears.

"I never even got to train him, not even once..." the monkey sniffed, the cloaked figure next to her remarking, "Cheer up. You can work for us instead," the being then turning to face Rotom shouting, "I was disappointed before, but now I'm loving this! BURN, BABY, BURN!"

Machoke's friends watched in terror as Rotom said, "You've been such a pain in the ass, I think I'll turn up the heat in case you come across some sort of last-minute solution," the oven doing just that, Machoke slamming his fists against the cage only for the intense heat to weaken him every second.

Sweat was pouring down his face as he was certain his muscles were dropping as a result. It would not be long until he was baked lizard and being served on a silver platter to the villains. Now all he could do was pray they chose a good seasoning to go with him.

"People of Tokyo, I want you to remember this day!" Rotom boasted, "Let it be known that I, Rotom, singlehandedly ended the Mach family for good! Never again will they stop us from conquering the world!"

Gardevoir let down tears, trying her best not to cry, Gallade patting her on the shoulder and shaking his head. Even Blaziken was resisting the urge to break out into waterworks. She had only known the boy for a little over a month and yet she already considered him her best friend.

But just as all seemed lost, Rotom's eyes widened when he noticed smoke coming from inside of him. His eyes widened as he opened the lid shouting, "OH MY GOD, I'M BURNING!" Machoke falling out and letting out a loud cry of pain, his skin beet red from the extreme heat.

Rotom all the while was digging through his inside, wondering what had caused this before pulling out a rather large grey substance, holding it toward Lucario asking, "Can you tell me what this is?"

The dog sniffed it and held his nose, remarking, "Whatever it is, it smells rancid!" Machoke blushing and uttering, "Oops, sorry..." Rotom looking confused until he managed to put two and two together, a look of disgust on his face as he tossed the dry substance onto the mat, breaking it into tiny pieces shouting, "THAT'S DISGUSTING!"

The audience stared in shock for a few seconds before cheering heavily, all of them beyond thrilled to see Machoke once again escape from death's door. Sure, his method was unorthodox and juvenile, but it was still effective.

Aipom still had tears in her eyes, a smile on her face as she sighed, "Idiot... don't scare me like that..." Gardevoir hugging Gallade tightly, the boy's eyes widening as he wheezed, "Can't... breathe!"

Machoke took a deep breath and glared at Rotom, exclaiming, "Alright, that's it! You're out of tricks now, buddy! Once I'm able to ignore this massive burn, you're in for it!" Rotom taking a deep breath and remarking, "You're forgetting something, Machoke. I still have one last form!"

With that, his eyes and aura turned purple, his hands becoming more like metal spatulas. The crowd watched with intent, curious as to what this final form was, Rotom taking the form of a refrigerator with double doors.

"This is my Frost Form!" the machine stated, "You've done well to get me to use all six, but it ends here!"

Machoke blinked and said, "Actually, that doesn't look too bad. It might help with my burn," Rotom smirking and asking, "Wanna try it out?" opening the double doors, Machoke striking a defensive stance and retorting, "As if!"

"Even after all that, he still needs to be super careful," Gardevoir said, Blaziken nodding and adding, "If he gets caught, he could wind up frozen like a popsicle," Gallade replying, "Who knows? Maybe Rotom has an ice cream maker built into him. Machoke could become the next big flavor."

All three cringed at the thought of this, Machoke narrowing his eyelids before turning to them and barking, "FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I'D PROBABLY BE VERY TASTY!"

"Even if I could make ice cream, I don't think anyone would want Machoke flavor," Rotom chimed in, Machoke turning back to him and retorting, "DON'T YOU START TOO!"

Rotom simply ignored his statement and said, "Well, if you won't crawl into me, I guess I'll take you down another way," the fridge opening up the door closest to the top of him, revealing the freezer. Machoke narrowed his eyelids and asked, "Do you think I'd be stupid enough to enter the freezer? There's not even much room in there."

Rotom simply laughed as he rose his spatula-like hands, resting them against the icicles forming on the roof of the freezer before cutting them all loose. After they fell off, he proceeded to position his hands behind them, applying enough force to launch the ice straight into Machoke, two of them piercing his shoulders, one going into his midsection and the last two getting his chest.

As if the stab wounds were not bad enough, the cold mixed with the extreme heat he was feeling only added to the pain as Machoke cried out in intense pain, falling to his knees and trying his best not to cry. This may not have been as brutal as when Beedrill pierced him with his stingers, but the pain was far worse. He felt like his heart was going to stop at any moment.

"MACHOKE!" Gardevoir cried out, Aipom gritting her teeth before barking, "IGNORE THE PAIN! IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD! IF THAT'S TRULY THE BEST HE'S GOT, THEN ROTOM TRULY HAS RUN OUT OF TRICKS!" Machoke's eyes going wide, Aipom receiving a roundhouse to the face courtesy of the cloaked figure.

Machoke's eyes went wide as he nodded, saying, "She's right..." the boy suddenly ignoring the cold chill going down his spine as he took a deep breath, saying, "That's right, I just gotta think of a nice mild day, not too hot or too cold."

Rotom was actually trembling in fear now as he slowly backed up toward the ropes, shouting, "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! I'LL SEND MORE ICICLES AT YOU!" Machoke cracking his knuckles and remarking, "How are you gonna do that when you have none left?" the machine's eyes widening when he remembered he'd used up every single on that had been in his freezer.

There was no way he would let it end like this. As such, he simply waited for Machoke to get close before locking his arms in place, attempting to stuff the boy into his freezer as everyone stared in shock.

But just as it looked like all was lost, the area went silent when Rotom came to a startling realization: his freezer was way too small for Machoke, and the boy realized this too. With that in mind, he placed a firm grip against the fridge and pried his head out, his face back to its regular colour as he spat, "ALRIGHT, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR TRICKS!"

With that, Machoke placed a firm grip against Rotom's arms, Rotom in absolute panic as the boy allowed himself to fall on his back, pulling the machine over him. Once Rotom was in the perfect position, Machoke used his feet to propel him high into the air, leaping up to his level and grabbing hold of him, flipping him upside down.

The audience went wild as Machoke proceeded to spread Rotom's arms out, locking them in place before wrapping his legs around the top of the fridge, shouting, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" falling toward the mat as Rotom's head was slammed hard against the surface.

"And with his family's most famous finisher, Machoke seems to have finally knocked out Rotom!" the announcer exclaimed, Rotom's head sputtering as he slowly returned to normal, the head lying there and twitching.

His body shrunk down in size so now it was only a pair of hands, the cloaked figure and Lucario knowing exactly what this meant. Rotom truly had been defeated.

Eventually, the head stopped twitching and the sparks came to a stop, all going silent for a while until the announcer rang the bell, exclaiming, "And my prediction was correct! The winner is Machoke!" the crowd going wild as Machoke breathed heavily, looking around at all the cheers and applause. There was just such a strange thrill from it all.

Gardevoir had tears in her eyes, biting her lower lip with a cute smile while Gallade exclaimed, "That's how it's done, Machoke!" Blaziken taking a deep breath and saying, "Good thing he's not stupid all the time."

Machoke then remembered Aipom, turning to face the monkey who had a big bruise on her face. She did not seem to mind this though as she grinned at the boy, clenching her tail hand into a fist and sticking the finger on the right up to make it look like she was sticking a thumb up.

However, all went silent again when Machoke's eyes went wide, the boy falling to his knees, his upper body collapsing as he fell hard against the mat. But it made perfect sense. The boy had suffered so much pain and injury during the fight that it only made sense he would have trouble standing up.

"Aw man, come on!" the cloaked figure exclaimed, "First he doesn't even have the decency to defeat Machoke then he end up dealing too much damage!?"

However, while his partner seemed beyond disappointed, Lucario actually looked scared. But why? Why would he care so much?

The announcer stared in horror and fiddled with her microphone, uttering, "After taking in too much damage, Machoke is now unconscious... does this mean all hope for Tokyo is lost?"

Blaziken rose up from her seat exclaiming, "THERE'S MORE THAN ONE HERO GUARDING TOKYO!" the crowd turning to her, Gallade nodding and shouting, "That's right! What kind of victory would you have if you didn't take at least another one of us out!?"

"They have a point," Lucario said, his partner turning to him and retorting, "Are ya nuts!? We already made a deal!" Lucario sighing, "Alright, I guess we'll both have to settle for being known as the cowards who won by default."

The cloaked figure folded his arms, nodding his head and sighing, "Alright, I see your point, but I'm going next!" Lucario shrugging his shoulders as the figure leapt into the ring, removing his cloak to reveal the lizard who had attacked Infernape a month and two days ago.

Gallade and Gardevoir had carried Machoke out of the ring to let him rest on a bench, both of them relieved that he was okay. Lucario did the same with Rotom, quickly exiting the ring.

"Good," the lizard said, "With that out of the way, I can finally make my big introduction," the lizard then striking a cool fighter's stance, shouting, "I am Scrafty, your worst nightmare!"

He then turned to Lucario and asked, "Was that threatening enough?" the area going silent as Lucario stared at him with a neutral look, Scrafty letting down nervous sweat and whimpering, "Please, give me an answer! I need to know!"

The dog rolled his eyes and uttered, "Yes, it was really badass," Scrafty's grin returning as he said, "Thanks, man."

All three of Machoke's friends were now standing next to the ring as the lizard cleared his throat, turning to them and stating, "Now, since Machoke picked his opponent, I feel it only fair that I get a turn," Blaziken nodding before exclaiming, "Well, if you want an easy pick, choose me! I'm itching for a fight!"

"That's a tempting offer, I'll admit," Scrafty replied with a nod, "Your family has a very impressive reputation, but no. I already knew from the moment I entered the ring who I wish to face."

Blaziken blinked, feeling rather offended by this but also curious as to who he meant. Gardevoir was praying it would not be her while Scrafty lifted a finger, pointing it at Gallade, the boy blinking and pointing at himself, Scrafty nodding his head.

"Alright!" Gallade exclaimed with a grin on his face, "I must admit, you have a good eye!" Blaziken folding her arms and sighing, a smile forming as she said, "Kick his ass, Gallade."

Gallade nodded with confidence before entering the ring and holding his blade arms out on both sides of him. The crowd clapped as clearly his attempt to look cool had worked.

"In the red corner, representing the villains, we have Scrafty!" the announcer exclaimed, the lizard holding his hands above his head together and waving them while the audience booed him, the announcer adding, "And in the blue corner, representing the heroes, Gallade!"

The boy smirked and said, "Enjoy the attention while it lasts. I'll cut you into mincemeat," Scrafty blinking and remarking, "Ya know mincemeat is actually fruit, right?"

All went silent as Gallade's eyes went wide the boy clutching onto the sides of his head and exclaiming, "OH NO, HE'S RIGHT! HOW COULD I MAKE SUCH A NOVICE MISTAKE!?" Blaziken face-palming and groaning, "Is that really important?"

Gallade blinked, sporting a more normal look now as he replied, "No, no it isn't," the boy regaining his composure and returning to his fighter stance, Scrafty saying, "I thought it was kind of important."

With that, the bell was rung as Gallade charged toward Scrafty with his arms out like those of a man carrying sickles. If he could get a clear hit, he could possibly end this in one strike, though Scrafty would not make things so easy.

Just as Gallade sent his blades forward, Scrafty held tightly onto his lower skin, crouching before propelling himself off the mat. Gallade stopped his attack, looking around in a state of panic as Blaziken snapped, "GALLADE, LOOK OUT!" the boy unable to look up in time to notice Scrafty falling toward him, planting his feet hard into the boy's skull.

The lizard leapt off, performing a flip before landing firmly against the mat, a proud grin on his face as Gallade scowled, grunting, "Don't look so full of yourself! That was a lucky shot!" Gardevoir whimpering, hoping her brother would be okay.

Scrafty simply rushed toward Gallade with his head out, but now the boy was ready as he held out his arms, blocking the incoming headbutt. This would have caused Scrafty to start bleeding if it weren't for the crest atop his head, but this still gave Gallade an upper hand.

With that in mind, the boy forced Scrafty's head back before sending his own headbutt into the lizard's chin. This distracted Scrafty just long enough for Gallade to race behind him, reaching his arms around his shoulders and lifting the lizard high above his head, leaning backward and slamming the back of his head hard into the mat.

Scrafty cried out in pain, rubbing said area while the crowd cheered for Gallade, the boy turning toward the lizard and knowing this was far from over. With that in mind, he took full advantage of the lizard's state and lunged toward him, blades raised.

However, Scrafty saw a huge opening and wasted no time, propelling himself off the mat with his knee raised. Gallade noticed this as the lizard spat, "HIGH JUMP KICK!" Gallade quickly shifting his arms into an X formation, blocking the incoming kick aimed at his midsection before spreading his arms back out, sending Scrafty careening into the mat.

He landed gracefully against the mat, a bit disappointed his Psycho Cut had been interrupted but still felt fully confident. The start had been a rocky one, but he had the advantage now, and the announcer was saying just that while the crowd applauded the boy.

"Your brother's amazing," Blaziken said, turning to Gardevoir as the girl nodded, a light smile on her face as she replied, "He's always been my hero ever since I was three."

As if things were not already hard for Scrafty, Gallade's arms had actually caused the lizard's knee a bit of pain as he held onto it, rocking back and forth for a few seconds before it subsided. After the pain had left, Scrafty rose to his feet and took a deep breath, firmly pulling up his skin and barking, "That was a lucky shot, ya jerk!" sticking out his tongue.

"And to think, I was expecting a challenge," Gallade said with a confident smile, Scrafty taking a deep breath and remarking, "Oh, ya'll get your wish. I'm just getting started."

With that said, the lizard proceeded to race toward Gallade again, the boy holding his arms in front of him, ready to counter once again only for Scrafty to propel himself off the mat, jumping over Gallade's head. The boy blinked in confusion as Blaziken spat, "BEHIND YOU!" Gallade once again unable to respond in time when Scrafty planted his feet into the ropes, shouting, "HEAD SMASH!" shooting off of them like a rocket and planting his crest hard into the boy's back.

Gallade's eyes went wide as he flew into the ropes, bouncing off himself. Scrafty waited for just the right moment when the boy got close enough for the lizard to send a hard kick into his back.

Gallade fell hard against the mat while Gardevoir whimpered in fear, Blaziken patting her on the shoulder and saying, "It's okay, he'll be fine," only to wince when Scrafty flipped toward the boy, planting a drop kick into his back.

"Ya wanted a challenge, right?" Scrafty asked tauntingly while releasing on hand from his skin and lifting the boy up by the spike on his head while adding, "Ya got it," the lizard ramming his head into the boy's face.

The crowd gasped when Scrafty continued to pummel Gallade with his forehead, the boy's face starting to bleed now as Gardevoir squeaked, "GALLADE, DO SOMETHING!" the boy's eyes widening when he took another blow to the face, a look of anger forming as he took in another. Clearly Scrafty was not willing to give him time to recover.

However, the one second between each headbutt was more than enough for Gallade to work with as he slowly lifted his arms up, once again wrapping them around Scrafty's shoulders. The lizard froze, a nervous grin on his face as Gallade smirked, a more serious look forming as he once again leaned back, setting the lizard up for another Suplex.

However, Scrafty was prepared this time, the crowd gasping when the lizard leaned his head back just enough for his crest to stop his head from colliding with the mat, the announcer stating, "In a last-ditch effort to save himself, Scrafty has used the strongest part of his body to lighten the blow."

"Thank ya, Captain Obvious," Scrafty muttered, rolling his eyes before taking full advantage of this. Gallade was unable to respond as the lizard wrapped his ankles around his neck, pulling him downward and slamming the back of his own head into the mat.

Gardevoir was back to whimpering as Blaziken was not even sure how this would turn out. That blow to the head had done quite a lot of Gallade due to the damage dealt to the front earlier, so he was having trouble recovering from this.

"I'll admit, ya fight the good fight, but you're nowhere near as tough as I figured ya'd be," Scrafty stated before backing away from Gallade a bit, propelling himself off the mats and aiming his knee toward the boy's midsection shouting, "HIGH JUMP KICK!" planting his knee hard into the boy's chest.

All went silent as Gallade's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, the boy coughing up blood and passing out. Everyone stared in silence, hardly believing what they had just seen as the announcer rang the bell, shouting, "The winner is Scrafty!"

Panic spread throughout the area as the lizard grinned wickedly, laughing maniacally and flashing a peace sign to the crowd. Was this it? Had the villains won?

"Good job defeating Gallade," Lucario said, "but we still haven't technically beaten Machoke yet," Scrafty blinking and saying, "You're right," looking over at the boy who finally starting to stir a bit, his eyes slowly opening.

"I'm awake!" the boy exclaimed, bolting upright as Blaziken breathed a sigh of relief, Scrafty smirking and saying, "Oh, goody, I was worried I wouldn't get a chance to fight you."

Machoke blinked, his eyes going wide as he suddenly remembered why he had been unconscious in the first place, the boy then noticing Gallade lying unconscious in the ring, his forehead covered in blood stains. Just what had happened while he was out?

Lucario let out a sigh and said, "You should probably recover before you fight him, Scrafty," the lizard shrugging and replying, "Nah, I'll be fine. That Gallade didn't do too much to me. Besides, Machoke's still in far worse condition."

This was not too far from the truth, either. Machoke still had a few burn marks and bruises on him from his fight with Rotom. Sure, he was conscious now, but was he truly ready for another match.

"Hold it!" came a squeak from the crowd, everyone turning toward the source to notice Gardevoir standing up with a look of anger on her face as she snapped, "Scrafty, you just beat up my brother! I can't stand by and let that go unpunished, so I challenge you to a fight!"

The area fell silent, Blaziken asking, "Are you sure about this?" Gardevoir gulping, feeling terrified beyond belief but keeping her composure as she replied, "Yes. My brother would want me to be strong in his stead."

Scrafty let out a sigh and pinched his forehead, groaning, "Look, kid, the offer's nice, but we've already broken the terms of our own agreement once! What kind of example would we be setting if we did it again!?" Lucario sighing, "If someone dear to me was badly hurt, I would want vengeance too," Scrafty barking, "WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON!?"

The lizard took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, alright. But I need some time to recover, so let's agree to an hour of preparation time," Lucario rolling his eyes as he did not even want to respond to this display of hypocrisy.

Gardevoir took a deep breath, bowing her head in respect and saying, "Thank you, Scrafty," the lizard retorting, "I DON'T WANT YOUR THANKS!"

While Gardevoir headed toward a training facility located within the arena, Machoke stood before her and rested an arm on her shoulder saying, "Gardevoir, you don't have to do this. I'll fight him. I may be a little beat up, but I'm sure I can hold my own," Gardevoir smiling lightly and shaking her head, replying, "That's very kind of you, but I want to do this. I need to overcome my fear of fighting."

Aipom turned to Lucario and asked, "Can I go now?" the dog sighing, "The agreement was that we only let you go if we're all defeated. Scrafty and I are still standing, so try putting two and two together," the monkey letting out a disappointed sigh, praying this would end soon.

Blaziken stared as Gallade had regained just enough consciousness to see her heading toward the exit of the area but not enough to get up, the boy whining, "Can someone carry me off the mat?" his friends nodding and doing just that.

Machoke and Gallade both watched Gardevoir exit the general area, Gallade proud of his sister for mustering up the courage to challenge Scrafty. Machoke on the other hand was scared for her safety. It really should have been him fighting the lizard, not someone like her, or at least that was what he figured.


	7. Chapter 7

What a stressful day this had been. Machoke had finally defeated Rotom only to end up too badly beaten to take on Scrafty. Things at least seemed to be working out okay as his friends managed to delay a horrible failure, but that miracle seemed to be fading. Not only had Gallade lost to Scrafty, but Gardevoir had taken his place and she still seemed hardly ready for this sort of thing.

Gardevoir had been gone from the area from a few minutes when Machoke came to check on her in the training facility. The girl really seemed to be doing her hardest as she was delivering a series of palm punches to a punching bag, a look of determination on her face.

Machoke let out a sigh and still believed that he should help her out in some way, the boy walking over to her and patting her on the shoulder. Gardevoir turned to him, about to tell him to leave when the boy volunteered to help her out. Sure, he was no expert either, but he had picked up quite a few things from Hero School that he figured would help.

He helped her lift some dumbbells in the hopes that Gardevoir could build up her muscle strength even just a little bit. Sure, Scrafty did not have the same tough skin that Nidoqueen had, but he was still a force to be reckoned with.

After that, he had her using his hands as targets to practice her palm punches. At one point, she ended up missing one of his hands and smacked him in the face to which she promptly apologize, Machoke simply congratulating her for actually causing a bit of pain from the hit.

After more and more training, Gardevoir only had ten minutes before her match started, Machoke taking a deep breath and saying, "I'm sure you can do this. You've improved quite a bit," Gardevoir blushing and asking, "Do you think so?"

Machoke nodded and replied, "I know so," flashing the girl thumbs up as she gave the boy a light hug, squeaking, "Thank you so much!" giving him a light peck on the cheek, Machoke's eyes going wide as the girl got up to head to the ring, the boy saying, "Wait, you still have ten minutes."

Gardevoir turned to him as the boy grinned, saying, "Neither I nor your brother had a chance to make a big entrance, but you actually do, and I got just the thing in mind," the girl actually interested in what he had to suggest, thinking this would be a good way to help her stay positive before the match started.

After nine-and-a-half minutes, everyone had taken a seat and was ready for the match to start, Blaziken sighing, "I really hope your sister knows what she's doing," Gallade replying, "Relax. My sis can beat that punk, no sweat."

Aipom was still scared after all this time, but was at least a bit grateful that Lucario bought her a salad for lunch to keep her from starving. Either way, tensions were high as the announcer took her seat and got ready.

"In the red corner..." the woman announced, "representing the villains and weighing at thirty kilos, Scrafty!" the audience once again booing and jeering the lizard as he approached the ring from the entrance on his side, a smirk on his face as he walked over to the ring, propelling himself off the floor, performing a few flips in the air and landing firmly against the surface.

"And in the blue corner..." the woman added, "fighting to protect Tokyo and weighing forty-eight and a half kilos, Gardevoir!"

The crowd was ready to start cheering before noticing Gardevoir not entering, though they did hear voices coming from the entrance way, a young girl squeaking, "I'm scared, Machoke! What if they laugh?" Machoke's voice replying, "Don't worry, you look great."

Gallade's jaw dropped when he saw his dear, beloved sister approach the ring wearing a jersey and a spiked collar around her neck. Her hair had also been styled into a Mohawk as she had this angry, aggressive look on her face. Needless to say, Machoke had told her to go in with 'bad girl' plastered over her.

Gardevoir took a deep breath, remembering his instructions as she placed a firm grip against the ropes, propelling her above them and performing a handstand atop the rope before allowing her body to drop, landing gracefully against the mat, the girl absolutely shocked that she was able to pull it off.

The crowd continued to stare, Blaziken groaning, "What the hell is this?" the chicken expecting to see anger from Gallade but was shocked to see him smiling, the boy letting down light tears and sniffing, "I don't know what Machoke did, but he's a miracle worker!"

Gardevoir glared at Scrafty, the lizard looking beyond confused. The girl was starting to lose a bit of confidence and turned back, noticing Machoke standing just a short walk from the ring and giving her thumbs up. Seeing this gave her the confidence to finish the routine as she pointed at Scrafty, exclaiming in a low, punk-like tone, "Yer roadkill, sucka!" Gallade's smile fading as he uttered, "Okay, that's going too far."

With that, Gallade pulled off the jersey, which of course now had a big slit down the middle of it thanks to her chest spike, the girl tossing it out of the ring. With that, the routine was over, her hair suddenly returning to normal on its own, Machoke shrugging and saying, "Oh well, at least it stayed up as long as it did."

The audience was still in shock, the announcer at a loss for words. Even Lucario could not help but stare at this display, an orchestra of crickets hopping into the area and providing chirping sounds throughout the area.

Gardevoir looked like she was about to cry when she heard Gallade shout, "THAT WAS AWESOME, SIS! EXCEPT FOR THAT ROADKILL TAUNT! EVERYTHING ELSE WAS GREAT!" Gardevoir smiling as the audience decided to give her a pity clap, seeing that she really was trying her best to make a good first impression.

Blaziken snickered and said, "You're a great brother, you know that?" Gallade remarking, "What? I meant every word of that," Gardevoir about to take the collar off when Machoke gave her a confused look, the girl blinking and realizing what that was about, keeping the collar on. After all, it would be insulting to take it off before the end of the match.

Scrafty snapped out of his shock and said, "That was actually pretty cool. I didn't think someone like ya could make that work," Blaziken shouting, "HE LIKED IT TOO!?" Gardevoir bowing her head in respect, the lizard sighing, "Again, I don't want your thanks."

However, before the match could get underway, Gardevoir held up her hand to call a timeout, turning to Lucario and saying, "There's something I want to know before the fight starts," the dog giving her a look of confusion before she sighed, "If you're really evil, why did you save my brother and I from that robber?"

"Wait, ya did what?" Scrafty asked, Machoke blinking and uttering, "I didn't know that either," the area now listening to what Lucario had to say. That was a very good question indeed.

Lucario let out a sigh and replied, "I wanted you all to myself, that's why," Gallade wincing at the sound of this but was surprised when Gardevoir did not seem the least bit fazed by these words.

"You're lying," the girl replied, "I can tell, but I can also tell you're not ready to tell the truth yet, so I'll wait," the announcer asking, "Can I ring the bell now?" Gardevoir nodding before turning back to her opponent. Just what was Lucario hiding?

And with that, the bell was rung as the match finally started, Gardevoir taking a deep breath and holding a defensive stance. After her time spent with Machoke, she actually felt ready for this now. There was no way Scrafty was going to beat her with ease.

Scrafty, of course, did not wait as he charged toward the girl with his head out. Gardevoir held out her hands to defend herself just like she had when facing Nidoqueen. However, the odds of it working this time were low as that strange power from before had not yet been activated.

When Scrafty's head closed in, Gardevoir found herself surprisingly able to hold him back, though his crest being alarmingly close to her chest did frighten her a bit. To make matters worse, her strength was not enough to keep him back to long as the lizard quickly started pushing her slowly toward the ropes.

In a state of panic, Gardevoir simply released her hold, attempting to dodge to the side. However, this proved ineffective as the side of Scrafty's head ran into her ribcage, the girl crying out in pain and falling to the side, stopping the fall with one hand, breathing heavily and trying to regain focus.

She tried to ignore the pain, shaking her head as she knew she had to be tough. With that in mind, she rose to her feet, Scrafty charging at the girl a second time. Gardevoir took a deep breath and tried her best to concentrate, noticing the lizard was aiming a kick toward her this time.

The girl attempted to dodge to the right only for Scrafty to smirk, turning around mid-way and sending a roundhouse into her side. Gardevoir cried out in pain as she fell on her side again, this time landing on her shoulder.

Machoke's eyes went wide in disbelief, Gallade and Blaziken hoping she was okay while Gardevoir herself simply could not believe this. After all that training with Machoke, after her strength had actually gone up a bit, a single hit was still enough to bring her to her knees.

Logically speaking, though, this was not too unexpected. After all, Machoke had only trained her for a tad more than forty minutes. That was not a particularly long period of time and she was unable to handle the strength training procedures on Hero Planet, so she had barely trained her muscles at all.

"I'm disappointed," Scrafty said with a sigh, "Ya came in looking so cool and confident but you're really just a weakling," Gardevoir starting to lose confidence when Machoke spat, "Don't listen to him! You actually managed to hurt me during training, remember!? Look at my physique and think about that!"

The girl's eyes went wide as she nodded, rising to her feet and fibbing, "That barely hurt at all," Gardevoir trying her absolute best to sound intimidating with that statement.

"And ya have the gall to call Lucario a liar," Scrafty remarked, shaking his head and adding, "Oh well, at least this'll be more fun, I guess."

With that, the lizard propelled himself off the mat, aiming a knee kick toward the girl's head and shouting, "HIGH JUMP KICK!" Gallade's eyes going wide as he barked, "GARDEVOIR, DODGE IT NOW!"

Gardevoir nodded and swayed gracefully out of harm's way, Scrafty's knee hitting the surface hard as his eyes widened. A light tear fell from his left eye as he fell on his back, rolling around in pain while clutching his knee.

Gallade took a deep breath and said, "I remembered how much it hurt when I used my arms to block that before. Figured a harder surface would deal more damage," Blaziken nodding and saying, "Not bad."

Gardevoir took a deep breath, resting her hand against her heart when Machoke exclaimed, "Quick, get him while he's down," the girl's eyes going wide briefly as she nodded, squeaking, "Of course!" the girl then leaping toward the lizard, planting her right foot into his gut, Scrafty actually taking in a considerable amount of pain from this.

Gardevoir sported a big smile as she turned to Machoke and squealed, "DID YOU SEE THAT!? I REALLY HURT HIM, DIDN'T I!?" Machoke nodding and replying, "You sure did!" not even bothering to tell her that an attack like that could deal a good amount of pain to anyone no matter who used it.

Scrafty slowly rose to his feet, panting while holding his belly and grunting, "Okay, guess I can't take ya lightly after that stunt of yours," Gardevoir tilting her head to the side asking, "Um... Mister Scrafty, sir, may I ask you something?"

All went silent for a few seconds until Scrafty blinked, scratching the side of his head and replying, "Okay, sure, why not?" Gardevoir rubbing her chin and enquiring, "I notice you have your own way of saying the word 'you' but you don't use that way of saying it all the time. Why is that?"

"Oh, I'm surprised you're the first person to catch that," the lizard replied, a grin forming on his face as he added, "I'll be happy to explain that. See, it really depends on how it sounds in context with the next word. For instance, if the next word starts with vowel or sounds to much like 'ya', it doesn't roll off the tongue quite as easily, but also, if I were to say something like 'yar' instead of 'your' I'd sound too much like a pirate."

"Is he for real?" Aipom asked, Lucario sighing, "I can't believe they're even having this conversation right now."

However, Gardevoir was actually really interested in this as she clapped her hands, squeaking, "Wow, so much attention to detail! I'm really impressed," Scrafty sporting a smug grin and replying, "Yeah, I don't mean to brag, but I'm a lot smarter than I look."

With that, Scrafty took a deep breath and said, "Man, almost forgot we were having a fight right now," the lizard rushing at Gardevoir once again, only this time he knew he would need to be more careful. After that last stunt, there was no way he was going to let her get to him again.

Gardevoir took the defensive again, remembering how he had managed to get past her first two counters. With that in mind, she waited for Scrafty to start up an attack only for the lizard to try absolutely nothing, no prepared kicks or anything.

Instead, the lizard stopped right in front of her and snickered saying, "Go on, hit me," all going silent as he turned his head to the side adding, "Give me a good palm punch right here," Gardevoir not even sure what to do as Gallade looked equally confused, Blaziken letting out a sigh and barking, "HE'S TRYING TO BAIT YOU! DON'T TAKE IT!"

Gardevoir gasped and backed up, Scrafty smirking as he proceeded to race behind her, kicking her hard in the back. All went silent as Gardevoir fell hard on her face, coughing up blood for the first time in the match. She had certainly lasted longer than when she faced Nidoqueen, but it was still painful beyond compare.

"Oh no..." Machoke whimpered, clutching his head while thinking, 'All of that confidence has surely left her now!'

"The truth was I had a plan for both situations," the lizard explained with a smirk while folding his arms and adding, "If you had attacked me, I would have shrugged off the pain and struck ya back. I knew I could take it after seeing how weak your arms are earlier."

"So she was doomed no matter what..." Aipom whimpered, the announcer stating, "Well, it would seem that Scrafty here is a lot smarter than he appears. Even with Gardevoir taking the safer approach, she still wound up taking in a considerable amount of pain."

The crowd was even more scared than ever before. Despite her confidence earlier, Gardevoir was fairing even worse than Gallade had. What could she possibly do?

Despite her pain, though, Gardevoir tried her hardest to ignore the blood coming from her mouth as she started to push herself up, mumbling, "I... have to... win..." Scrafty sighing, "It pains me to see someone so beautiful suffer, but I knew what I was getting myself into when I joined the dark side."

With that, the lizard propelled himself off the mat, aiming his knee toward the girl's back shouting, "I'LL GIVE YOU THE HONOUR OF FALLING TO MY STRONGEST ATTACK, HIGH JUMP KICK!"

But just as it was about to connect, a violet aura surrounded Gardevoir's hands, the girl quickly turning around and holding them up, the knee running into her palms. While Scrafty's feet were not harmed by this counter-measure, it did seem to prevent Gardevoir from taking in further damage as the lizard leaped away from her, a look of shock in his eyes.

'This power...' he thought, 'I could have sworn she didn't have it before, so where did it come from?'

The lizard shook his head and refused to let this discourage him as he rushed at the girl again, this time pointing his head out. Gardevoir panicked and held out her hands in defence, not having enough time to think up a more effective strategy. However, unlike before, her hands had actually prevented Scrafty from advancing any further.

No one had any idea what was going on but cheered anyway, Aipom and Lucario both very interested in this sudden burst of strength. Hearing the roar of the crowd gave Gardevoir her confidence back as she opened her eyes, noticing what everyone was freaking out over.

"So it seems my training is paying off," the girl said with a light smile, forming circles with her pointing fingers and thumbs before flicking Scrafty in the face.

This actually managed to cause enough pain to cause the lizard to back away from her, rubbing both sides that she had flicked and shouting, "WHY DID THAT HURT SO MUCH!?"

Gardevoir proceeded to leap past the lizard, hooking his neck and shouting, "MOON HOOK!" sending the back of his head into the mat as he actually coughed up a bit of blood, the girl breathing heavily while looking down at him, saying, "I guess the fight gave me just enough extra workout time to make my muscles even stronger," her eyes sparkling when she said this.

"That doesn't make much sense, but maybe her body works differently from most people," Aipom said to herself as Machoke refused to say anything, Blaziken turning to Gallade before asking, "Does she not even notice the aura surrounding her hands?"

Gallade blinked and said, "Now that you mention it..." the boy letting down a sweat drop and adding with a nervous grin, "She might not actually know of her powers."

The chicken face-palmed and sighed, "After this match, you're going to have to tell her. Right now, she's under the impression that her training with Machoke caused this. When this power leaves her and doesn't come to her right away in her next match, she's going to wonder where it all went," Gallade nodding and replying, "Yeah, you're right."

Scrafty slowly rose to his feet, rubbing his aching neck and taking deep breaths of his own. There was no way he was going to let this sudden burst of strength ruin everything for him. He had come so close to finishing her off and he was not going to lose this chance.

With that in mind, the lizard lunged at Gardevoir, knowing his fake-out trick would not work now that she was strong enough to use it against him. With that in mind, he decided to rely on stealth as he propelled himself off the mat and over Gardevoir's head, flipping toward the ropes and bouncing off of them, his head aimed at her back.

Gardevoir was unable to react in time as he spat, "HEAD SMASH!" ramming his crest hard into the girl's back.

Gardevoir fell forward, but managed to keep her face from colliding with the mat with her hands. After all, she had seen him use this same technique on her brother, so she knew how it worked.

With that in mind, she tried something she had never thought of before, remembering how successful her handstand earlier had been. She managed to propel her lower body up high enough to land a hard two-legged kick into a spellbound Scrafty's chin, the lizard coughing up more blood as an aura was now covering the girl's feet as well thus sending the lizard flying into the air.

Seeing this, Gardevoir pushed herself up and jumped high into the air, Machoke asking, "Gardevoir, what are you doing? You don't know any other slam moves!" Gardevoir replying, "I know, but I can at least try to come up with a new one when the opportunity arises."

Thinking fast, the girl came up with something rather simply as she placed her hands against Scrafty's cheeks, the lizard asking, "What are you trying to do?" the girl smiling softly and squeaking, "I have absolutely no idea."

The crowd stared in wonder as Gardevoir proceeded to lower his head below her body, keeping her legs above her own head, tilting Scrafty's head so the back of his neck was facing the mat, the girl squealing, "Can't have your crest saving your life, now, can I!?"

Scrafty was in full panic mode now as his neck was slammed hard into the mat, Lucario and Aipom's eyes wide with shock. Scrafty coughed up one last bit of blood before his body collapsed, the lizard now unable to move just long enough for his loss to be official, the announcer ringing the bell.

"And in a stunning turn of events, Gardevoir has created a new finishing move!" the woman exclaimed, "No one knows where this sudden burst of power came from, but the important thing is Scrafty has finally been defeated!"

The crowd cheered wildly, Gallade letting down tears and sniffing, "I'm so proud," Blaziken sighing, "Remember, you'll have to tell her sooner than later," the chicken then smiling and joining into the cheering.

Gardevoir smiled lightly at Machoke who stepped into the ring, holding his arms out before hesitating, Gardevoir embracing him. She now felt like she was truly ready to fight evil and it was his influence that pushed her in the right direction.

With that, Lucario let out a sigh and unlocked Aipom's cuffs, the monkey staring at him in confusion, the dog getting up and heading toward the exit. Everyone directed their gaze toward him as Machoke asked, "Where are you going? We haven't had our fight yet."

"I know," the dog replied with a sigh, "But honestly, I don't wanna serve evil anymore," everyone now more confused than ever.

Lucario noticed this and took a deep breath, saying, "I may as well explain myself. See, the reason I joined the dark side isn't because of family matters, though, Machoke, you are right that I don't particularly like my father, but that's a story I'd prefer not to tell."

Machoke blinked and nodded his head asking, "If it's not that, then why did you join the dark side?" Lucario sighing, "Well, to be honest, it wasn't a matter of pride or a want of destruction either. It's simply that... I don't know what I want to do with my life."

All went silent as Machoke asked, "Are you serious?" Gardevoir nodding and replying, "I can tell he's not lying this time," Lucario nodding and explaining, "I figured maybe I was born to be evil and that I had finally found my true place, but the truth is, I don't like what they had me doing. When I killed that human earlier, I felt kind of bad."

"Well, if evil isn't what you want, try serving good instead," Machoke replied, Blaziken nodding and adding, "It is true you'll probably face some time in prison for murder, but once they let you out, you might find serving justice to be worth your while."

Lucario simply shook his head and sighed, "Maybe someday, maybe not. Right now, I just don't know," the dog exiting the area as Machoke lowered his eyelids, saying, "That guy is messed up."

However, panic returned to the area when Scrafty suddenly recovered from his head-blow, sitting upright and shooting a cold stare at Gardevoir. The girl squeaked in fear, holding up her arms defensively only for the lizard to surprise everyone by shooting her a grin.

"Ya got me good," he said with a shockingly positive tone, "Ya got me real good. I did NOT see that coming."

"So... you're not mad?" Gardevoir squeaked, Scrafty shaking his head and replying, "Nah, I'm a good sport. I know when I'm licked, though man, the others are not going to let me hear the end of this."

"Why go back, then?" Machoke asked, "If you know you're gonna get punished, why return?" Scrafty letting out a sigh and replying, "I'll let ya in on a little secret. Consider it a bonus for beating me."

Everyone was quite curious as the lizard sighed, "Lucario's issues may not be family-related, but mine are. The truth is, I used to be a really nice guy. I always stood up for the little guy and would often convince bad people to start obeying the law. Unfortunately, my daddy never noticed any of this stuff."

Gardevoir blinked and asked, "What do you mean?" Scrafty sighing, "Well, whenever I'd go about my heroics, most of the time, it would result in a fight. My daddy would always get the wrong impression when I came home covered in bruises and would never take the time to hear my side of the story, so I ran away and became exactly what he thought I was."

"That's not right," Machoke said with a serious look in his eyes, everyone turning their gaze to him as he added, "All you ended up doing was proving your dad right. He may not have seen you for who you were, but so many others did. Maybe if you had them talk to him, he might have gotten to know the real you, but now, well, you've tarnished your image."

"You're right," Scrafty replied, looking down when Gardevoir patted him on the shoulder, giving him a light smile and cooing, "It's not too late. You have lots of time to make things up," Scrafty nodding and replying, "First, I'm going to apologize to Daddy, then I'll turn myself into the government and take whatever punishment they have for me."

A smirk then crossed his face as he added, "Thankfully, I've never gone so far as to kill anyone, so my sentence should be fairly light, don't ya think?" the others nodding with warm smiles on their faces, the lizard taking his leave as things had truly turned out well.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been two days since Rotom and Scrafty had been defeated. Both were now serving time in prison while Lucario was off wherever and trying to find himself. It may not have been a completely happy ending, but it was nice to have some peace in Tokyo again.

Machoke was in the middle of training with Aipom in the yard this morning, in which she had forced him into a headlock with her tail and expected him to find a way out. While the lizard boy struggled to free himself, he noticed a few girls walk by talking amongst themselves. Machoke prayed they would not look his way but they ended up glancing and staring for a few seconds before walking off.

"This is so unfair!" Machoke whined, light tears running down his face as Aipom sighed, "You can think about girls later, but right now we have work to do! Now how would you get out of this hold?"

Machoke continued to struggle, placing his hands against the tail and pulling only to find this had no effect whatsoever. But while he found himself wondering how such a small and youthful creature could have high physical strength, he noticed Blaziken walk by wearing a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.

The chicken noticed him and asked, "Hey, Machoke, me and the others are meeting up downtown. Wanna join us?" Machoke exclaiming, "You betcha!" the boy spinning his body and loosening himself from the hold before running into the house, putting on a long-sleeve shirt and pants at lightning speed and taking off with Blaziken.

"Hey, Machoke, we still have work to do!" Aipom exclaimed before sighing, "Well, at least he got out of the hold," the monkey then folding her arms and walking toward the entrance to the house and muttering, "I wish I could hang out with them too."

Machoke and Blaziken soon came to the spot where the others would be, Gallade and Gardevoir arriving and waving. Machoke and Gardevoir had spent most of the previous day resting up from their fights, so they had not yet seen each other since Gardevoir's match ended. As such, Machoke was rather surprised when he saw Gardevoir still wearing the spiked collar he gave her.

Not only was she still wearing the collar but she also had that jersey she had worn before the match on. Gallade on the other hand did not feel the need to wear any human clothes, finding it unnecessary since he had no visible genitalia.

"You know, Gardevoir, you don't have to wear that now that the match is over," Machoke uttered, Gardevoir gigging and replying, "Oh, I know, it's just..." the girl then blushing a bit and adding, "I really like it. This collar makes me feel strong!"

"Well, it does actually kinda suit you," Machoke replied with a shrug, "Not so sure about the jersey, though," Gallade giving him an awkward look as the boy laughed nervously, saying, "After a few more seconds, it does actually suit you quite well."

"So..." Blaziken whispered into the side of Gallade's head, "have you told her yet?" Gallade nodding and replying, "Yeah, I told her what I know about her power last night," the chicken noticing how positive the girl was and asking, "How did she get over it so quickly?"

"It's kind of funny, actually," Gallade replied with a snicker, "She took it rather well."

The boy remembered the events that night as he sat down with her at the dining table and finished telling her all about the aura, the effects it had and how it only appeared in dire situations. Despite all of this being a surprise for the girl, she did not have a look of shock, nor did she so much as raise an eyebrow. Instead, a smile actually appeared on her face, her eyes sparkling.

"So, this doesn't bother you in any way?" Gallade asked, Gardevoir shaking her head and sporting a more serious look, squeaking, "This is a sign from God that I should train even harder so I don't have to rely on the power!"

Back in present time, Blaziken nodded and said, "That is actually a logical way of thinking about it," Gallade nodding and sighing, "I'm just glad it didn't destroy her fighting spirit."

"So, guys, what's the plan for today?" Machoke asked, Blaziken turning to Gallade who nodded his head and replied, "My neighbour told me of this club located around these parts, said it's a lot of fun."

All four agreed, Gardevoir feeling nervous about going to such a place as Gallade promised to protect her from anyone suspicious. Sure, Gardevoir may have defeated an opponent he had lost to, but he still felt obligated as her older brother.

The four were soon sitting on a couch in the lounge area together, Machoke saying, "I will admit, you picked a good place," looking around as the place had a four televisions scattered throughout, pool tables, a few arcade machines, free drinks and even a karaoke machine. There were even quite a few people here as well, so they were not the only guests.

While Blaziken and Gallade each had their own alcoholic drink in hand, though, Machoke and Gardevoir were simply having fruit punch, Blaziken turning to Machoke and saying, "You know, Machoke, I think you've earned yourself a little drop of the creature after all you did," the boy cringing at the thought before groaning, "Alcohol's gross," Gardevoir looking at him with even more admiration after hearing that.

"By the way," Gardevoir stated with a big smile, "I thought up a name for my new finishing move! I call it the Meteor Bomb!" her friends staring at her as Blaziken smirked, asking, "How'd you come up with such a cool name?" Gardevoir replying, "I gave it a lot of thought and, well, the way I had Scrafty set up and how my body was positioned made me think of a meteor falling into the ring, and, well, from what I can gather, power bombs are kind of similar with how it was executed, so I came up with a combination of the two."

At that moment, the group of girls Machoke had seen earlier entered the area, taking a seat on a couch right across from them before noticing the lizard boy. The girls turned to one-another and started giggling as Machoke groaned, looking down.

Blaziken blinked and asked, "Do you know those girls?" Machoke not even dignifying this with a response as one of them noticed Gardevoir and asked, "Excuse me, are you the one who beat up that Scrafty guy in the arena yesterday?"

Gardevoir blushed and nodded, her lips pursed together as the girls got up from their seats and walked over, one of them pulling out a pen and a notepad asking, "Can we have your autograph?"

Gardevoir's blush brightened as she trembled a bit, Gallade resting an arm on her shoulder and saying, "It's fine. They just want you to write down your name," the girl nodding as Blaziken added, "Make sure you add a nice touch to it to really leave an impression.

Gallade thought hard about this before remembering the name she had just stated for her new finishing move and wrote her name in beautiful hand-writing but also attached a drawing of a small meteor flying away from the 'r' while also making it look artistic. Needless to say, the human girls were very happy to have received this, Gardevoir having trouble containing her mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Hey, what about me?" Machoke asked, "I beat Rotom!" the girls simply looking at him, one of them turning to the girl next to her and asking, "Who's that?" the other shrugging as Machoke fumed, another girl then pointing at Gallade and exclaiming, "I know you! You're Gardevoir's brother, the guy who fought Scrafty first!" the girls then asking for his autograph as Machoke roared, "BUT HE LOST! THIS IS SO UNFAIR!"

Blaziken laughed and patted the boy on the shoulder saying, "Well, I thought you were awesome," Machoke still looking peeved as the chicken added, "Don't forget, saving lives is its own reward," Machoke muttering, "Yeah, but being showered with affection is a nice bonus."

The girls then decided to find something else to do as Machoke picked up a nearby ashtray and threw it into the side of Gallade's head, the boy laughing and rubbing the side of his head, Machoke barking, "THAT IS NOT HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO REACT TO THAT!"

"Alright, let's try to take our mind off girl problems, okay?" Blaziken replied, Machoke sighing, "Right. We came here for a good time, not an argument."

At that moment, something caught Blaziken's attention on one of the TVs. It was a broadcast from Osaka where Throh and Sawk were standing in a ring face-to-face with two opponents.

One was a snake made entirely out of rocks, two big stone arms coming from his sides. The other was a knight clad from head to toe in armour. The armour on his shoulders and legs was red while the armour on his torso and arms was black. He also had a pair of white metal gloves covering his long, slender hands, each with a spike coming from the wrist. There were also long white boots made from the same material and to top it off, he wore a red helmet with a black rim and a golden axehead attached to the top. Finally, his waist was lined with sharp rounded blades.

"We're here live from the Osaka stadium," said a man with a flat haircut and a fancy suit, "Currently, the resident heroes Throh and Sawk are going up against the fearsome duo of Onix and Bisharp in a tag team match!" Onix being the snake with Bisharp being the knight.

Throh and Sawk were currently playing a game of rock, paper, scissors with each other as Sawk ended up winning, Throh bowing his head and saying, "Give them Hell, Sawk," Sawk giving his brother thumbs up and replying, "Of course."

Onix looked eager to take the fighter on as Bisharp folded his arms, saying, "Go ahead. You may go first," the rock snake grinning and replying, "Thanks, Bisharp. I'll be sure to save you some leftovers."

Machoke's eyes widened as he uttered, "That Onix guy looks really tough," Blaziken nodding and replying, "True, but don't forget, Throh and Sawk were the top of the class. They're not to be taken lightly."

The bell was rung as Sawk held up a fighter's pose, waiting for Onix to make the first move. Luckily, the snake did not even hesitate as he came toward Sawk, his head lowered.

"Too easy," Sawk said with a light smile before leaping over the snake's head, sending a karate chop hard into the back of his neck.

The crowd went wild as Sawk leapt away from the snake so he could not counter. Machoke simply grinned at the sight of this and exclaimed, "Wow, that's amazing! He manage to damage stone with his bare hand!"

Onix growled and ignored the pain, rising back up and sending a punch toward Sawk. The martial artist easily dodged this when suddenly, Throh shouted, "SAWK, BEHIND YOU!" the boy's eyes widening when Onix redirected his arm, sending it into the side of it into Sawk's ribcage.

Sawk tried his best to ignore the pain only for Onix to wrap his tail around him, pulling hard on him and saying, "That's right, just stay there while I break you in two!"

Sawk tried his best to ignore the pain as he squeezed his arms out of the hold, sending two karate chops into the snake's tail, causing just enough pain for Onix to release him. After that, he ran over to Throh and tagged him in, his brother nodding and performing a flip over the ropes.

When he was close enough, the wider boy proceeded to grab onto Onix's head, pulling it down toward the mat and slamming his chin hard into the surface. With that, he backed away from the snake and held a defensive stance.

"It's awesome seeing both their skills at work," Blaziken said with a grin, "Sawk uses more head-on moves like punches, kicks and karate chops as he supposedly can't use grappling moves while Throh's fighting style is the exact opposite. In a way, they both compliment each other in that sense," Machoke nodding and saying, "Well, it seems to be working."

Onix took a deep breath and grunted, "You know, Bisharp, I'm certain I can crush that guy's head, but since you were generous enough to let me go first, I figured I'd return the favour," the knight nodding and replying, "How thoughtful of you," slapping his hand against the snake's tail and taking his place.

"Things might actually be easier now," Machoke said with a grin as Gardevoir seemed unsure, Blaziken replying, "Don't be too quick to judge. Remember, you thought Rotom was going to be weak because of his size and he almost killed you," the lizard boy letting down nervous sweat and uttering, "Oh yeah, good point."

Throh was not going to let something like this intimidate him though as he charged toward the knight, Bisharp waiting for him to close in. When Throh attempted to grab him, the knight simply took one step back, this being just enough for the boy to miss as Bisharp placed a firm grip against each arm, tossing him high into the air.

After that, he leaped up and wrapped his arms around Throh, the boy crying out in intense pain as Bisharp's blades were digging into his skin, the crowd gasping when the knight flipped himself one hundred and eighty degrees shouting, "RIBCAGE OF TORMENT!" slamming Throh's head hard into the mat.

All went silent as Bisharp released his hold on the boy, allowing him to collapse, Sawk leaping into the ring shouting, "I WILL AVENGE MY COMRADE!" Bisharp letting out a sigh and saying, "Your spirit is admirable, but not enough to save you."

Sawk ignored these words and aimed a palm punch toward Bisharp only for the knight to hold up his right wrist, blocking the incoming strike. As if that was not bad enough, the spike on his glove went right through Sawk's hand, the martial artist crying out in pain as he reeled his hand back.

Before Sawk could attempt anything else, Bisharp tagged in Onix, saying, "I will give you the honours," Onix nodding and replying, "You're too kind."

Sawk looked at Throh, knowing his partner would not rise as he rushed at Onix, remembering he had at least stood a chance against the behemoth earlier. However, Onix was ready this time as he allowed Sawk to strike him with another karate chop, the snake swinging his tail around and striking him on the side.

The crowd was now terrified as Onix wrapped his tail around Sawk, lifting him high above the mat and shouting, "BINDING SLAM!" sending Sawk's head hard into the mat and knocking him unconscious, releasing his hold on him.

The announcer stared in silence at this until Bisharp cast him a cold glance, the man gulping and ringing the bell, shouting, "OUR WINNERS ARE THE TEAM OF ONIX AND BISHARP!" the crowd in absolute panic.

A camera was now pointed at Bisharp as the announcer left his desk and walked over the knight, asking, "Anything to say because we become your eternal servants?" Bisharp taking a deep breath and stating, "I am a man of honour, therefor I will give Osaka a fighting chance," all going silent as Bisharp pointed at Sawk and Throh adding, "These two fought most valiantly and deserve a medal for bravery, but they were not a satisfying challenge."

"I hate to say it, but he's right," Machoke groaned, Blaziken smacking him on the back of the head sighing, "That may be true, but it's disrespectful."

Bisharp then pointed at the camera and added, "If any of the heroes stationed in other parts of the world can hear this, I will give you twenty-four hours to come here by any means necessary and challenge us. The first two to arrive will be our opponents, but only the first two!"

Onix nodded as the camera was redirected toward him, the rock snake adding, "In other words, you'd better hurry up if you want to avenge your comrades here!"

Machoke's eyes were wide open with shock as Blaziken got up from her seat, exclaiming, "I'm going!" the others staring at her as she added, "We have more than enough heroes stationed here as it is! I'm sure you guys can hold the fort while I'm away!" Gardevoir nodding and squeaking, "Good luck, Blaziken."

When the other club guests heard this, they all broke out in heavy cheers for the bird, Machoke's eyes widening when he saw the perfect opportunity. With that in mind, the boy rose to his feet and said, "You're gonna need help, and I think I can provide that."

Gallade and Gardevoir were shocked to hear him say this, Blaziken smiling and nodding before saying, "I'm sure I could take them both myself, but I guess I could use a little backup."

A half-hour later, the two were already had a local train station as they knew there would be no way to book a quick flight to Osaka and that the next bus there would not be coming any time soon either. Machoke was actually quite terrified to be going, especially after seeing Onix and Bisharp in action but there was no way he was going to have Blaziken go in alone.

Gardevoir gave both a quick hug and said, "Be careful, you two," Gallade grinning and adding, "And don't you worry about a thing. Tokyo will be fine in our hands."

The train arrived at that exact moment as the friends said their goodbyes, Machoke and Blaziken entering the mode of transport. However, Machoke immediately tried to run only for Aipom to sprint into the area shouting, "MACHOKE, YOUR FRIENDS TOLD ME EVERYTHING!" the monkey pouncing on him and forcing him back into the boxcar, the door closing as the train took off.

Machoke let out a sigh and thought, 'Well, I did volunteer,' Aipom smiling bright and jumping up and down, squealing, "Machoke, you're amazing! I didn't think you have the courage to take on such a task!"

Machoke nodded slowly, Blaziken saying, "Yep, he's a true friend," Aipom putting on a serious look and stating, "Don't you worry, Machoke! I will be there to give you advice should you need it! Thus is my sworn duty!"

After nine hours, the group arrived in Osaka. It was seven in the afternoon, so the evening was still young. This gave them more than enough time to get at least one match out of the was as soon as possible, but would their opponents feel the same way?

This would become clear soon enough as Bisharp and Onix just happened to be by the train station almost like they were expecting someone to arrive there, Onix's eyes wide open as his partner asked, "Did I not tell you someone would come to challenge us?" the rock snake nodding and replying, "You're a genius."

"Are you a psychic?" Machoke asked, now even more intimidated by the knight, Bisharp taking a deep breath and replying, "Actually, a reporter caught you two boarding the train and broadcast it all across Japan. Two heroes coming to challenge us is not something the media is going to ignore, after all, even if you two haven't earned celebrity status yet."

"Hey, Machoke's earned celebrity status," Aipom replied, Machoke biting his lip and letting down light tears, sniffing, "It means so much to hear you say that..." Onix laughing and remarking, "The world doesn't seem to think so. Seriously, every headline has been talking about Gallade's noble sacrifice and his sister's shocking victory."

Bisharp pulled out the newspapers from this day and the previous one, showing Gardevoir and Gallade being the prime focus on the front page, Machoke grabbing them and looking down over, fury in his eyes until he noticed a small article about him in the bottom right-hand corner, the boy laughing and exclaiming, "I am on the front page!"

"That hardly matters anyway," Aipom remarked before pointing at the villains and snapping, "Mark my words, you're going down!" Blaziken nodding and adding, "Yeah, we're not holding back, right, Ma-" her eyes widening when she noticed Machoke was now missing, Aipom looking around to see where he could have gone.

"I guess he decided to get in some training before the main event," Bisharp said with a shrug, "We'll give you until tomorrow at noon to prepare yourselves. Pass that on to Machoke if you find him."

All the while, Machoke was already looking around as he let out a sigh and groaned, "I can't believe it... even after all that talk, I couldn't spend more than two minutes without hightailing it. Maybe I deserve my lack of recognition," his stomach then growling as he whined, "And worst of all, I haven't eaten since this morning!"

"Excuse me, sir," came a voice from behind Machoke, the boy turning and asking, "Are you talking to me?"

A young woman stood there with her son, the boy pointing and shouting, "I told you it was him! That's the guy from the TV!" Machoke's eyes widening as the woman said, "You did a wonderful thing for Tokyo, defeating that awful Rotom. We were really scared for your safety but you pulled through in the end."

Machoke nodded and grinned, replying, "Well, yeah, but it's my duty as a hero, you know?" the little boy's eyes sparkling as he exclaimed, "It's awesome that you've come to help us out, too!"

The mother nodded and offered Machoke a box of noodles she had purchased a few minutes ago, saying she was not hungry as the boy smiled warmly, bowing his head in respect and letting down light tears. The child saw this and asked, "Are you crying?" Machoke shaking his head and replying, "Just something in my eye kids," the lizard flashing the two thumbs up and saying, "Don't you worry, I'll make sure your city is safe."

Aipom all the while was searching for Machoke while Blaziken was off training for the following day. However, it was difficult finding the boy in such a big place, especially now with the sky getting dark. But when the monkey came to the local stadium where the fight was to take place, she noticed Machoke standing in front of it.

The monkey sprinted over to him snapping, "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Machoke turning and staring silently before asking, "Why aren't you inside already?" Aipom sighing, "The match is tomorrow at noon."

Machoke fell on his side before groaning, "I wish I knew that sooner. I've been standing out here for the last couple of hours waiting for someone to let me in," Aipom blinking and asking, "You did knock more than once, right?" Machoke not even dignifying this with a response.

With that, Aipom simply smiled, glad to see Machoke taking this matter seriously as she went with him to an open space to train, telling him that Blaziken had already booked a hotel room for all three. Tomorrow would not be easy but Aipom was certain things would turn out for the best.


	9. Chapter 9

Tomorrow was going going to be a big day. Bisharp may not have made it perfectly clear what he was planning, but both Machoke and Blaziken were expecting a tag-team match like Throh and Sawk had. Seeing how quickly Bisharp had turned things around for the team, Machoke did not wish to pin all the responsibility on Blaziken, so he was going to try his absolute hardest.

Tomorrow came soon enough and the hours leading up to noon went by in a flash. Currently it was eleven-thirty, just a half-hour before the main event and Blaziken and Machoke were already by the ring, Machoke trying to stop his knees from shaking.

Onix and Bisharp were also there as the bleachers were full, the announcer exclaiming, "Hello, everyone! Welcome to the Osaka Stadium! I am your host, Hito Koufu, and we are getting ready for the match between the heroes of Tokyo and the strong duo of Bisharp and Onix!"

The crowd was waiting in anticipation as Bisharp bowed his head to Machoke and Blaziken, the knight saying, "I don't think I need to tell you how much of an honour it is that you're here," Onix exclaiming, "Yeah, I've been looking forward to this!" clenching his fists and adding, "I can't wait to smash your heads into the pavement!"

"Actually, you might not get a chance to smash both," Bisharp replied, the rock snake looking and asking, "Are you implying you would wipe them out so quickly, I wouldn't get a chance to do anything?" the knight shaking his head stating, "Not quite. You know I always let you go first in tag team matches."

Now everyone was curious as to what Bisharp meant as he pointed at Machoke and Blaziken saying, "I feel privileged by the fact that it was you two who accepted our challenge above all else, the kids of the Torch family and the Mach family, whose parents were two of the greatest fighters of their generation. I feel like having a tag team match would end this major event far too quickly."

"So, where are you going with this?" Blaziken asked, Onix nodding and asking, "Yeah, where are you going with this?" Machoke all the while thinking, 'I don't wanna know where he's going with this.'

"I apologize, Sir Onix, for I should have discussed this with you beforehand," Bisharp stated, the rock snake nodding but saying nothing in response as the knight proceeded to explain, "I declare a string of one-on-one matches," all going silent as the knight nodded and replied, "We will start with two fighters going up against one-another. The winner of that match will then go up against the remaining team mate and it will work like this until there is only one team left standing."

"Uh... can you rephrase that?" Machoke asked as Bisharp nodded and replied, "Gladly. See, the first match will be between two fighters, one member of each team. After that match, one team will be minus a member in which the winner of that match will go up against the second, or rather last member of the opposing team," Machoke blinking and replying, "Okay, that made a little more sense..."

"Well, I understand perfectly," Blaziken said with a smirk, Aipom nodding and adding, "Me too," Machoke grumbling curses under his breath as Bisharp turned to Onix and asked, "Do you wish to go first?"

Onix smirked and replied, "I thought you'd never ask!" Bisharp then pointing his hand at Blaziken and Machoke, clearly giving them the option to choose who would go first on their team.

Blaziken was thinking this over as Machoke simply folded his arms, sporting a serious face and saying, "You can go first," the chicken turning to him as the boy gave her a look of confidence saying, "I've already had my debut match here. You're the only one of us who has yet to grace the world with your amazing talents."

Blaziken nodded with a confident smile and gave Machoke thumbs up saying, "Thanks, man, you're a real pal," Aipom staring at Machoke and realizing right off the bat that he had different reasons, but seeing as Blaziken was happy with the arrangement, the monkey said nothing.

"This should be interesting," Onix said with grin, "We are still yet to see what Combusken's daughter can do. I'm looking forward to this."

Of course, Blaziken still had a little over twenty-five minutes to prepare and as such, she headed to the stadium's training facility to prepare herself. After all, Onix may not have been as hard to hit as Bisharp, but his body was a lot tougher. The chicken would need to be ready for that.

With that in mind, she spent a good twenty minutes training her body with the equipment provided. It may not have been as useful as the weights on Hero Planet but it would have to do and right now, it was clear that strength would be more useful than speed in this fight.

A couple of minutes remained until the match, Machoke taking a front-row seat next to Aipom while saying, "Blaziken's tough. I'm certain she can handle this," the boy then grinning childishly and adding, "In fact, she's so tough that I bet she could easily defeat both Onix and Bisharp so I won't have to do a thing," Aipom face-palming with her tail hand.

After the two minutes were up, Hito took hold of his microphone and exclaimed, "Now it is finally time for the main event, starting with the first match! In the red corner, weighing at two-hundred-and-ten kilograms, a snake made entirely of stone, Onix!" the crowd going silent when the snake headed toward the ring.

At that moment, he pointed upward thus directing the audience's attention to the ceiling where a big cinder block was hanging, the people hired to hold it up releasing the rope and dropping it toward Onix's head. Just as it was about to hit, Onix pointed his head up toward it, opening his mouth wide and catching it, crunching down on it and cracking it into small fragments within seconds, swallowing the pieces. Clearly he meant business.

After the snake crawled into the ring, his arms folded, Hito proceeded to announce, "And in the blue corner, weighing at fifty-two kilograms, the fiery bird from Texas, introducing Blaziken!" the crowd going wild when Blaziken rushed toward the ring wearing a cowboy hat and a cowgirl top, leaping into the ring and striking a pose before removing the hat and hurling it out of the ring like a frisbee.

"Fiery bird from Texas, eh?" she muttered to herself, tapping her chin and grinning, before adding, "Maybe I should call myself the Texas Phoenix."

"Not a bad entrance," Onix said with a grin, "You're quite the expert at showmanship, I must say," Blaziken smirking at him and remarking, "Thanks, but flattery won't make things any easier for you," Onix replying, "Please, I wouldn't dream of it."

"She's from Texas?" Machoke asked, Aipom, who was holding a bowl of banana pudding, nodding before replying, "Oh yeah, we have records on all Hero Planet graduates. In fact, Gardevoir and Gallade grew up in France," Machoke blinking and replying, "Funny, they don't sound French."

Blaziken performed a few leg warmups while the announcer stated, "This is a no-holds-barred match, meaning anything goes. I would forbid hits below the belt, but seeing as neither of these really have anything that can be hurt down there, I think it's safe to make those areas fair game too, not that either would have of a reason to take advantage of that anyway."

Machoke had a look of envy on his face as Aipom laughed nervously, saying, "Sorry about that..." the boy sighing, "Whatever, it's in the past," Aipom smiling sweetly before taking a bite of her pudding, her eyes widening as Machoke broke out into hysterics, Aipom slapping the snack into his face.

With that, the bell was rung as Blaziken wasted no time charging at the snake. Onix had no time to respond as she leapt up toward his head and sent a roundhouse kick into his cheek, the hit showing a bit of an effect while the crowd cheered.

The chicken did not let it end there, though, as she allowed herself to land below the snake and started punching away at his torso. Blaziken may have been skinny, but she was also really tough, to her punches actually did have a descent effect on her opponent and her knuckles could handle the pressure of hitting rocks.

Onix was not going to stand for this though as he did his best to ignore the pain, raising his arms around his head with both hands cupped together to form what resembled a giant fist. But just as he was about to sent it crashing down on Blaziken's skull, the bird leapt back just in time to avoid it.

"Where's them tactics you were using when fighting Sawk?" Blaziken asked tauntingly, "Seriously, that move was beyond predictable," Onix roaring, "SHUT UP! I AM NOT PREDICTABLE!"

"Cool your jets," Bisharp said in a harsh tone, Onix turning to face him as he added, "If you let her get to you, you'll only make it easier for her to win. And I know you're not the predictable fighter she thinks you are, so prove it."

Onix nodded and took a deep breath saying, "Right, I'm in control," Blaziken seeing this as a bluff and charged at the snake again only for Onix to stand up on the tip of his tail, bending his body forward. He then proceeded to latch his hands up against said tail to form a wheel, rolling toward Blaziken and shouting, "ROCKIN' ROLLER!"

Blaziken had no time to react as the snake rammed his body hard into her, the bird already coughing up blood as she flew backwards, the ropes preventing her from falling out of the ring. Onix stopped rolling and regained his original stance before asking, "Not so hot now, are you?" Blaziken spitting out a drop of blood and grunting, "At least my special moves don't have stupid names like Rockin' Roller."

Onix's eyes widened when Bisharp sighed, "She has got a point. That is a very stupid and might I add obvious name to give something like that," the rock snake retorting, "I thought you were on my side!" Bisharp holding up his right finger and adding, "But that is of no importance. Stupid-sounding or not, it is still fitting and the attack did a very good job injuring the opponent, so it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I hate to admit it, but Bisharp makes a valid case," Aipom stated, Machoke staring at her and remarking, "When did this become a court trial?"

Still, Bisharp was right. Obvious bad pun or not, there was no arguing that Blaziken had taken in a great deal of pain from this. Only one hit had caused her to draw blood. This was nothing to scoff at.

Even so, the chicken refused to let this get to her as she proceeded to charge at Onix, the rock snake once again unable to respond, or at least it seemed she would get another easy hit. Unfortunately, just as she was close enough, a light stinging sensation went through her head as she rubbed it, stopping in her tracks.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Machoke snapped, Blaziken shaking her head as the pain had gone, but unfortunately for her, this delay was just enough for Onix fling his tail at her, wrapping it around the bird and holding her up.

The snake grinned wickedly and said, "It seems my attack had more of an effect than you thought it did," tightening his grip as Machoke closed his eyes, the audience going silent.

However, just as quickly as that silence had come, it left when everyone noticed Blaziken actually applying enough force with her arms to loosen the tail's hold on her. But just as it looked like she might be able to escape, Onix decided to use what little grip he had on her left to lift her high above the mat shouting, "BINDING SLAM!" ramming her head hard into the canvas.

The crowd was now in extreme panic as Blaziken already looked down for the count. She had just taken in two insanely powerful blows. Not even she could get up from that, could she?

Machoke was trembling in his seat and chattering his teeth, terrified out of his mind. After all, if Blaziken was unable to get up and pull off some kind of miracle, he would have to take both Onix and Bisharp on and he did not feel up to such an insane task.

"Blaziken put up an amazing fight, but not even someone as strong as her could get up after taking in fierce blows like that," Hito said, "As such, the victory goes to..."

However, his announcement was interrupted by a certain female voice barking, "NOT SO FAST, MISTER KOUFU!" everyone gasping when Blaziken placed her hands firmly against the mat, slowly pushing herself back up and rubbing her head, taking a deep breath and patting her cheeks.

"But how?" Onix asked, Bisharp folding his arms and saying, "She possesses a strong spirit, I will give her that," Blaziken taking a deep breath and saying, "Onix, I'll admit, you're really something. It takes a lot of strength for only one move to make me feel lightheaded, but this is far from over."

The crowd went wild as Machoke breathed a sigh of relief, Aipom saying, "I hope she can back up those words, because it's not looking good right now," Machoke grumbling, "You are such a killjoy."

Onix attempted to lunge at Blaziken and bite her, only now that pain in her head was gone as she leaped over his head. The snake was not going to let her get away as he propelled himself off the mat, the chicken smirking and saying, "You're making this easier all the time."

With that, the bird grabbed hold of Onix's neck and leaned backwards while applying just enough force to flip Onix's entire body around, igniting a burst of flame around her body before shouting, "ASTEROID SUPLEX!" soaring toward the ground like a rocket falling from the stratosphere and planted the snake's head hard into the mat.

The crowd went insane as the mat had pushed inward from the force of Onix's head, the snake now stuck in the canvas with his tail still sticking up in the air, Bisharp's eyes wide with shock. Even he had to admit that he was impressed.

"Alright, Mister Koufu, ring that bell already cause this match is in the bag!" Blaziken exclaimed with a proud look on her face, but just as Hito was about to do so, his eyes widened as he stated, "It appears this match is not over yet, folks," Blaziken sporting a look of confusion before slowly turning around.

Onix had placed his hands against the mat and managed to push hard enough to pry his head out of the crater his face had left in the canvas. Blaziken shook her head, her eyes wide open in terror as the snake had not yet broken his handstand. Instead, he had different plans as he once again rolled up his body into that wheel shape from earlier.

"BLAZIKEN, YOU KNOW HOW THIS ATTACK WORKS!" Machoke spat, "DODGE IT!" the chicken nodding when Onix shouted, "ROCKIN' ROLLER!" and rolled toward her.

Machoke was right, Blaziken knew exactly how this worked now. As such, the chicken narrowly managed to dodge it as Onix released his hold on the tail and returned to his normal stance, saying, "Damn, guess I can't rely on this one anymore."

Blaziken was still shocked, though, as Onix folded his arms and nodded, stating, "I know what you're thinking. 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall', right? You thought that just because I'm big and heavy, an attack like that would take me out in one hit, but obviously it didn't. Or am I wrong?"

Blaziken shook her head and sighed, "Oh well, even though that didn't finish you, it still packed a punch. You can't deny that," Onix nodding and saying, "You're right, it did. I applaud you actually managing this," the snake pointing at a small section of his head where it looked like a tiny chunk of stone was missing.

"THAT'S ALL SHE MANAGED TO DO!?" Machoke spat, more fear filling him as he let down tears, whimpering, "This guy scares me more and more by the minute!"

Even so, Blaziken refused to let this get to her as she noticed Onix attempt to bite her again, once again leaping over him. But rather than attempt the same move she had just used, figuring he would not fall for it twice, the chicken instead sent flaming two-legged kick to the snake's skull shouting, "BLAZE KICK!" and propelling herself off, going straight for the snake's tail.

Onix ignored the pain to his head and threw his tail toward the chicken, a smirk forming on her face as she allowed it to run into her, only now her legs and arms and bound to it as she tightened her hold, all going silent. As if trying something like this on a creature made entirely out of stone was not confusing enough, the strange thing was that it was actually working, Onix feeling legitimate pain from this.

However, it did not take long for the audience to realize why as Blaziken was not just applying a hard grip to the tail but also turned her body enough to start twisting it. Seeing this, the crowd went wild once more, Machoke exclaiming, "AW YEAH, JUST LIKE I TAUGHT YOU!" Aipom sighing, "You're a terrible liar."

After a few seconds, though, Onix seemed to stop feeling pain and instead starting snickering, Blaziken asking, "What's so funny?"

"This move," Onix replied with a smirk, "Your mom used this exact same technique against mine back in the day," everyone staring in confusion as Hito stated, "Apparently, Onix's mother fought Combusken back in the day, but when did that happen?"

"That's a good question," Blaziken remarked, Onix nodding and asking, "Ever heard the famous match between Combusken and Steelix?" the chicken's eyes going wide as she uttered, "Oh my god, I should have known... you two are very similar in appearance."

The rest of the crowd could not believe this either. How could no one have made such an obvious connection? Sure, Steelix was made of steel as opposed to rocks, but she did have a very similar appearance to that of Onix.

"That doesn't explain why you're laughing, though," Blaziken stated, "From what I heard, this move defeated your mother. She gave up because she couldn't handle the pain," Machoke turning to Aipom who nodded and said, "Yep, it's true. Mommy told me all about that."

"That's why I find this so funny," Onix replied, "I figured a move that caused my mother, who by the way was tougher than me at this age, would be much more powerful! Up to this point, I figured maybe you were a good successor to Combusken, but it seems you're not even close to her level!"

A vein formed on the side of Blaziken's head as Aipom uttered, "Oh no," the chicken shouting, "I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I'M TOUGHER THAN MY MOTHER EVER WAS, AND I'LL PROVE IT!" tightening her hold even more.

However, Onix simply ignored the pain and lifted his tail up, Machoke shouting, "BLAZIKEN, LET GO OF HIS TAIL!" the chicken retorting, "LIKE HELL!" only to end up having her back slammed hard against the mat.

Despite the pain coursing through her, she continued to hold on tight, grunting, "I will defeat you with this move..." Onix laughing and retorting, "You're not even hurting me anymore!" the snake lifting his tail up again and sending it down toward the mat, once again slamming Blaziken's back into the canvas.

The chicken tried to hold on as tight as she could when Onix rose his tail again but found herself unable to as she released her hold, falling hard against the mat, Onix taking full advantage of this and slamming his tail into her gut. Blaziken coughed up more blood as the crowd stared at this with fright.

"Don't feel too bad," Onix said, wrapping his tail around the chicken and lifting her up one last time before adding, "You put up a really good fight. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say you're the best opponent I ever had. But all good things must come to and end, right?"

"Well put," Bisharp replied, nodding his head as Machoke groaned, "Her first match and her career's already gone down the toilet."

Onix's eyes went wide at the sound of this as he dropped Blaziken, his body twitching as everyone stared in confusion, Hito asking, "What is going on with Onix? Just as he was about to win, something seems to have spooked him."

Bisharp rose an eyebrow and said, "I thought you told me you had gotten over that," Onix blinking and shaking his head, saying, "Right, of course... besides, it's not like a sewer is deep or anything..." Machoke blinking and asking, "When did I mention a sewer?"

Aipom's eyes went wide as she said, "That's it," nudging Machoke and replying, "Toilets lead to sewers, which contain lots of water in them. Rock types like Onix here are usually unable to swim due to their heavy builds with very few exceptions. Maybe Onix has a fear of water because of that."

Blaziken looked like she was now starting to recover but clearly lacked the strength to get up completely as a light bulb turned on in Machoke's head. A grin crossed his face as he knew exactly how to help his friend without rushing into the ring and breaking the rules.

"Hey, Onix!" Machoke spat as the snake turned to face him saying, "I'm in the middle of something here," Machoke nodding and replying, "I understand that, but hey, even though we're on opposite sides, I was wondering if you'd like to join me sometime for a vacation to Hawaii! We could go swimming!"

Onix's eyes went wide, his jaw dropping as he proceeded to wrap his arms around his own body, trembling all over. Sure, he was a villain, but even he found this too cruel.

It was all coming back, a time in his childhood when he was invited to a human birthday party. Of course, his mother did not approve of him making friends with humans and would have rather had him at home so she could teach him to fight, but Onix had always wanted to be good so he snuck out while his mom was having a nap. Unfortunately, it was a pool party.

He tried not to go into the water as best as he could but it was no use as a group of bullies teamed up on him to shove him in. Since he was nowhere near as big back then, it was a lot easier for them to pull this off.

He remembered what it was like, sinking to the bottom and coming really close to drowning. Because he was so heavy, it took every adult in the area and a few of the kids to pull him back to the surface. But even with most of the humans helping him, it did not change the fact that humans had also been close to ending his life. That was the moment he swore to be more like his mother when he grew up.

Unfortunately for him, this also made him terrified of water, so much that even mentioning something related to it sent a chill down his spine. After all, that had been the most useless he had ever felt in his life.

Seeing as this was clearly working, Machoke grinned and added, "If Hawaii's not your cup of tea, then how about a trip to the local pool after the match?" Onix clutching onto his head and crying out in horror shouting, "STOP!" only for Machoke to hold his hand up to the side of his his head, replying, "I didn't hear that. Did you say stroke?" the snake crawling over to a turnbuckle and slamming his forehead against it.

"Onix, cease listening to his ramblings this instant!" Bisharp snapped, Onix turning to him, light tears in his eyes as the knight took a deep breath and added in a more calm tone, "Machoke is clearly trying to psyche you out. All that stuff he is saying is just words and nothing more. He has no intention of doing any of those things with you, okay?"

Onix blinked and stared silently for a while before breathing in and out, his confidence returning as he nodded his head and replied, "Thanks, Bisharp. You're a lifesaver," the knight nodding his head and saying, "Now go on, you have a fight to finish."

Machoke, however, failed to realize Onix had now gotten over his fears for the time being as the boy exclaimed, "You know, I heard it's supposed to rain big, big puddles today!" Onix taking a deep breath and casting a wicked grin his way, Machoke trembling and taking his seat.

"Oh no," Aipom murmured as Onix took one last breath, saying, "Save your breath, Machoke. Your words don't faze me anymore."

However, Machoke's fear subsided when he noticed his plan had worked to a certain degree. He had provided just enough of a distraction for Blaziken to rise to her feet, the bird taking many deep breaths but still hanging in there.

"Thanks, man," the chicken said with a grin, giving the boy thumbs up and adding, "I don't know what I would have done without your twisted sense of humour."

With that, Blaziken turned back to Onix, both of them having their confidence back. Even so, the odds were still stacked against Blaziken after what she had just endured. Would this really be enough for her to win or was she just delaying the inevitable?


	10. Chapter 10

Things were not looking good. Sure, Blaziken may have recovered from Onix's assault on her, but she could not possibly have much left in her. After all, one hit from the towering behemoth was enough to make her bleed. It was a miracle she was still standing.

Machoke decided to give his tactic one more try as he started making swimming motions with his arms, Onix rolling his eyes and stating, "Sign language isn't gonna work either, boy," Machoke grumbling curses under his breath as Aipom patted the boy on the shoulder, saying, "Hey, I thought you did a good job."

Onix figures Blaziken was likely too weak to dodge his stone jaws this time as he proceeded to lunge at her one more, Blaziken dodging to the right and barely avoiding him. Unfortunately, she did not have the strength to jump or counterattack like last time.

"You should have just stayed down and accepted your defeat," Onix stated, "You're almost out of breath, and you wanna know what the best part is? I don't think my attacks earlier are the complete cause of this."

"What are you insinuating?" Blaziken remarked with a cold stare, the snake shrugging his shoulders and replying, "I'm referring to that Asteroid Suplex of yours," everyone rather curious as he added, "Something else worth note about not just Combusken but your entire family is that they were never cut out for using advanced moves. In fact, it was recorded that your mom only used one move like that in her entire life, a brain buster, and I'm sure you're fully aware of what happened when she did that."

Blaziken's eyes went wide as she nodded, taking a deep breath and adding, "Yes, it's true. She told me this story when I attempted to use a regular Suplex on a practice dummy. I found myself unable to lift the thing and my mom told me it was because I'd expelled too much energy with my other training."

"What does this have to do with the brain buster?" Machoke asked, Aipom replying, "Everything," Blaziken explaining, "She told me of her first time trying and advanced move, that brain buster you mentioned. She ended up straining herself just to pull it off and while she was able to use it in the end, it took a lot out of her and she ended up losing."

"Exactly, and you know why that is?" Onix asked with a smirk, Blaziken giving him a cold stare as he stated, "It's because your bodies are not meant to handle moves like that! You can spend your whole lives training your upper body and it would never work entirely in your favour!"

"Well, it didn't take too much out of me!" Blaziken retorted with a grimace, "I still took a good number of hits from you and was even able to counter your stupid dive technique a second time!" the chicken then dashing behind Onix and grabbing him by the tail before shouting, "And you know why that is!? Because I'm better than my mother could ever be!"

With that, the chicken tightened her grip on the tail, Machoke asking, "Is she doing what I think she's doing?" the crowd cheering wildly as Aipom got up, barking, "BLAZIKEN, DON'T DO IT! HE'S RIGHT! YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT!" Blaziken retorting, "SHUT UP! I CAN HANDLE THIS AND I'LL PROVE IT!"

With that, Blaziken proceeded to lift the tail up slightly. However, when she did so, she found herself getting really exhausted as she dropped the tail, panting heavily while Onix lifted his tail, saying, "I told you so," ramming the tail into her face and knocking the bird on her back.

"Again, you've proven yourself a great adversary, so I'll make this as quick as possible," Onix said, wrapping his tail around Blaziken and lifting her up, the audience getting restless as the snake proceeded to send a hard punch to Blaziken's face.

The chicken simply closed her eyes after taking in the blow, thinking, 'I'm sorry, Mom. I've spent so much of my life obsessed with being better than you that I forgotten what really mattered. I thought I'd learned my lesson on Hero Planet, but getting into this ring made me forget all of that.'

Onix sent another punch to her face while she thought, 'I thought the most important thing was outdoing the Mach family, something you could never accomplish, but the lives of the people I'm to protect are so much more important. I guess this is punishment for realizing that too late.'

"Alright, one more oughta do it," Onix said, preparing one last punch as Blaziken's eyes went wide open, the chicken shouting, "The lives of the people are more important than upstaging my mother!" the chicken freeing her arms from the tail just like Sawk had and blocking the incoming fist before sighing, "There is no way I'm letting you harm more innocent lives!"

Machoke and Aipom stared silently for a second before cheering wildly, Machoke wrapping an arm around Aipom's neck and squeezing it. The rest of the crowd went wild as well as Blaziken said, "I may have strained myself, but that doesn't mean I can't continue!"

"Where is all this energy coming from!?" Onix spat, a look of terror in his eyes. Sure, he knew that from a logical standpoint, Blaziken should not have been able to do more than just block his punch, but on the other hand, she should not have had enough energy to even pull that off.

As if that was not enough, Blaziken tightened her grip on the fist as she proceeded to push downward on it, prying her legs out of the hold. With that, a grin crossed her face as she exclaimed, "Now to finish you off, not with some fancy grappling technique but with an old-fashioned family favourite!"

With that, the chicken sent a kick to Onix's face in order to boost herself toward the ropes. Just before making contact, she flipped her body around so her feet hit them, pushing them back before applying just enough force to push them downward, allowing her to aim for Onix's chin.

Onix could have fought back but right now he was simply too spellbound by her sudden recovery. With that, Blaziken launched herself off the ropes, holding one fist out as it caught flame, the chicken shouting, "SKY UPPERCUT!" sending a hard punch into the snake's chin, his eyes wide open as he fell hard on his back, Blaziken spinning in the air just to show off a bit before landing firmly against the mat.

There was no doubt about it. Onix was down for the count. With that in mind, Hito rang the bell and shouted, "It looked really doubtful, but after coming so close to failure, Blaziken has won the match!" the crowd going wild as the chicken rose one fist in the air, Machoke and Aipom clapping with big smiles on their faces.

Suddenly, Blaziken fell on her back, Machoke and Aipom now worried when they heard laughing, Blaziken sighing, "Well, mother, it took me a while to figure everything out, but I did it," the bird then closing her eyes and deciding to take a nap.

"Can someone remove the bodies from the ring?" Hito asked as Bisharp nodded, leaping into the ring and saying, "Gladly," picking up Onix by the tail and dragging him off, everyone staring in absolute shock, Machoke even more terrified of the knight now.

Bisharp took a deep breath, allowing Onix to rest as he climbed back into the ring, saying, "Get up, Blaziken. You're not done yet."

All went silent until Blaziken opened her eyes and grumbled, "What are you talking about," the bird rising back to her feet as Bisharp sighed, "You remember the rules, right? The winner of this match takes on the last member of the loser's team, and that's me."

Machoke then got up and barked, "Wait a minute! Blaziken is clearly in no condition to continue!" Aipom nodding and thinking, 'He has a good point. She barely made it out of that one alive.'

Bisharp simply shook his head and remarked, "Yes, but the rules very clearly stated that the next match would happen right after the first one, or are you willing to violate the rules?"

Machoke went silent until Aipom tapped him on the shoulder, saying, "You know the answer," Machoke nodding and stating, "You never specified that the match had to take place right away!" Bisharp folding his arms and remarking, "That is true, but I never said it didn't," Machoke's jaw dropped as he groaned, "I got nothing!"

All went silent as Hito asked, "So... do I signal the next match now or not?" Bisharp about to confirm this when Blaziken asked, "What kind of knight doesn't give his opponent a fair chance? I thought you were all about honour and good sportsmanship up to this point."

All went silent as the audience applauded Blaziken, Bisharp taking a deep breath and replying, "You make a valid argument," the knight closing his eyes and saying, "It would be disgraceful for me to pick on one who cannot defend herself. As such, I shall grant you an hour to rest up before we fight."

Machoke was just about to object again when Aipom sighed, "I think this is as good as we're gonna get," Machoke trembling and whimpering, "But there's no way Blaziken will have enough strength after a mere hour."

"It's okay," Aipom replied with a big smile, "We still got a plan B, remember?" Machoke staring in confusion as the monkey sighed, "I mean you," Machoke lowering his head and groaning, "I was trying to block that out of my mind."

Still, Blaziken seemed okay with this arrangement. It could have just been due to her stubbornness and pride, but it seemed like both fighters had agreed that an hour was a reasonable amount of time.

Blaziken decided to rest up good, knowing she was in no condition to be training. She had a feeling she would lose. In fact, she was almost one-hundred percent certain of it. So why had she even requested the extra time instead of giving up and handing Bisharp over to Machoke? Was it a matter of pride or was there more to it?

During this time, Machoke was buying himself a hot dog when Aipom noticed him, running over to the boy and asking, "How can you think of food at a time like this?" Machoke remarking, "Hey, as long as I'm outside of the ring, I should be allowed to enjoy every moment of it!"

Aipom groaned and rubbed her temple, Machoke remarking, "Hey, you bought yourself banana pudding right before Blaziken's match, so this makes you a hypocrite," the monkey retorting, "But that's different!" Machoke shaking his head and sighing, "No it's not," Aipom groaning, "Darn, you're right."

Machoke then noticed his hot dog was prepared as he reached into his speedo, his eyes going wide as he gulped, "Um... I don't have any..." Aipom holding up a finger with her tail hand and digging into a handbag she had hanging from her shoulder and pulling out the cash he needed.

"Say, where do you get your money from?" Machoke asked, Aipom replying, "Monthly allowance. Every month, Hero Planet graduates and representatives receive whatever currency is necessary for paying rent among other things. Since we're stationed in Japan, we get five-thousand yen each. In fact, at the end of this week, you get an extra thousand since it's your first month in Japan and the government wants to make sure you can buy groceries until rent comes around."

"Wait, I don't get it," Machoke replied, "Why do we have to pay rent when the government pays for our housing?" Aipom replying, "It's government money, so they still pay for it. It's just they've already paid for the house itself. It's easier for me for live off of five-thousand a week than most others because our house is not official property and therefore does not require rent."

"How is our house not official property?" Machoke asked, the monkey replying, "It's cause your daddy had a bunch of his friends build it for him," the boy thinking, 'That explains why it looks exactly like him.'

Machoke then shrugged and said, "Still sounds like a great deal. With none of us paying rent, we could be rich!" Aipom nodding before stating, "And best of all, since I am clearly more responsible with money than you are, your allowance goes to me!"

Machoke narrowed his eyelids and said nothing as a part of him knew Aipom was going to say that. Either way, it still sounded like a good deal.

Once the hour had passed, it was finally time for the match as the seats were filled up again. However, the audience was on the fence about who they thought would win. On one hand, they certainly wanted Blaziken to win and knew how fierce she could be in battle, but on the other hand, it was just as Machoke had said. One hour was hardly enough for even a hero to recover from such extensive damage.

Hito cleared his throat and exclaimed, "It is now time for the second match of the day! In the red corner, weighing at seventy kilograms, a knight honourable enough to let his opponent recover, Bisharp!" Machoke muttering, "He's giving that jerk too much credit."

Bisharp simply walked toward the ring, no flashy entrance or anything. After all, he was a knight and did not care about looking 'cool' for audiences. But this was hardly working against him as the strong silent approach actually did send chills down the audience members' spines.

"In the blue corner..." Hito added, "once again weighing at fifty-two kilograms, having just defeated Onix and yet is still ready for more, Blaziken!" the crowd cheering for Blaziken, but mostly out of loyalty. They still were not sure whether or not she would win.

Things seemed to be looking up, though, when Blaziken ended up sprinting toward the ring, still in her cowgirl top as she leaped toward the ropes, performing a handstand with only one hand on the top rope. The crowd applauded her performance as she propelled herself off the rope, landing perfectly on her feet, no one even noticing that she was already breathing rather heavily after the routine was over.

"That looked like it took a lot of energy to pull off," Bisharp said while folding his arms, "Perhaps you should have taken a more simple approach like I did," Blaziken remarking, "Nah, I'm perfectly fine."

Although she did her best to hide her exhaustion, Bisharp could sense that she was still tired. The reason was because she had stopped to take a breath after 'I'm', only she made it quick enough that the audience could not hear it.

"Still, I must say I am impressed with how much energy you're showing," Bisharp replied, "After all, you looked like you would not last more than a second before and after only a mere hour, you're performing acrobatics before the match despite you still being covered in wounds. You've got spirit and I admire that."

"Yeah, yeah, save your flattery for someone on your side," Blaziken remarked, Bisharp nodding as the bell was rung, Bisharp holding a defensive stance, everyone expecting Blaziken to make the first move again. Yet strangely enough, she did not.

No, the chicken was actually holding her position, Hito saying, "Perhaps Blaziken is not as full of energy as she seemed. She is not moving an inch," Machoke gulping, "I knew there was no way..." Aipom shaking her head and replying, "I'm sure she's still lacking energy, but I see another reason for her lack of movement."

Bisharp simply looked at this and said, "I am a man of honour, therefore I offer you the first hit," Blaziken gritting her teeth. The truth was that she wanted him to attack first, but why? That was far from her style.

Then she got an idea to get him to start moving as she simply replied, "Oh no, Bisharp, you were kind enough to allow me an hour to recover. Villain or not, such an act deserves a reward, so you may go first."

Bisharp rose an eyebrow as the chicken spread out her arms adding, "Look, I won't even budge. Give me all you got," the crowd gasping as Hito exclaimed, "It would seem I was wrong! Blaziken is so full of energy, she's literally giving Bisharp permission to injure her further!"

"I think all those blows from Onix made her go crazy," Machoke said, Aipom shaking her head and replying, "Just wait. If this goes in the direction I think it will, we're going to see Blaziken at her most strategic."

Bisharp detected something suspicious about this, but on the other hand, he had already learned all he needed to know about Blaziken from the previous fight. She was hard-headed and reckless and as such would not have hesitated to attack first, and inviting the knight to attack first could very well be some bone-headed attempt to prove how tough she was.

With that in mind, the knight decided to start with something simple as he held his wrist blade-side forward, charging toward the bird. Blaziken smirked, waiting for him to get close as she leaned forward, placing her hands firmly against the mat and lifting her legs up. After that, she sent her right leg into the left side of the knight's helmet, Bisharp's eyes going wide.

However, thanks to his armour, this dealt minimal damage as simply ignored the pain and sent his spike into Blaziken's gut. The chicken cried out in pain as she rolled back, now having trouble standing up as blood dripped from the spot that he been stabbed.

"I must admit, I did not expect something so clever from a firebrand such as yourself," Bisharp said, "Clearly I should be more careful," Machoke saying, "Oh, so that's what she was planning," Aipom sighing, "It was clever by her standards, but it still didn't work all that well."

And this was true. Due to her bleeding now, Blaziken was losing energy more quickly by the second. Whatever her plan was, she would certainly need to last a little longer for it to work.

With that in mind, Blaziken was on the offensive for she knew Bisharp would not fall for such a stunt a second time. After all, he already seemed like a more intelligent fighter than the others despite having not revealed too many fighting moves to the world just yet.

Bisharp was on the defensive now as he watched Blaziken's movements, the chicken coming at him with her leg ready for a roundhouse. Bisharp readied his wrist spikes to block the attack only for Blaziken to exclaim, "Psyche!" before sending a punch to his face.

The crowd went wild as Bisharp backed up, rubbing the spot and saying, "I was planning on holding back due to your condition for the sake of fairness, but clearly I have underestimated you."

'That stab earlier was holding back?' Machoke thought with a look of terror on his face, Bisharp rushing at Blaziken with one arm out and the other in front of his face with its palm facing forward.

It did not take long for people to realize what he was doing. The arm sticking out clearly represented a sword while the arm in front of his face represented a shield. It looked strange, but it was a good way to ensure that he would have a good defence and a good offence at the same time.

Seeing this, Blaziken took a deep breath thinking, 'Hopefully I'll have enough energy to pull this off,' lighting her left leg on fire and shouting, "BLAZE KICK JUNIOR!" sending the foot toward the sword arm, Bisharp blocking the foot and saying, "I see. You know my shield would block any attack, so you've raised your power in an attempt to knock my sword out of my hand, in a matter of speaking."

"You catch on quick," Blaziken replied, continuing to apply force to his arm only for Bisharp to smirk, saying, "Unfortunately, my arms are not real knight weapons, so I can just shift my shield into a second sword whenever I want," the chicken's eyes going wide as if this was not an obvious factor to take into consideration, Bisharp turning his shield arm around so the spike was sticking out.

"WRIST SWORD!" the knight shouted before swinging his blade across Blaziken's gut, now making the gash the shape of a cross as more blood came out, the chicken backing up and clutching onto the wound, taking many deep breaths.

"Blaze Kick Junior," Bisharp said, shocking everyone by pulling out a cloth and wiping off the blood on his wrist before adding, "And you have the nerve to call Rockin' Roller stupid?" Blaziken remarking, "Hey, I'll have you know that attack name is totally cool!"

Unfortunately, just shouting that seemed to take a bit out of Blaziken as she tightened her grip on the bleeding spot, taking more deep breaths. No, she had to last a bit longer. She felt like she had at least gotten close, but close to what?

With that in mind, the bird ignored the wound and sprinted toward Bisharp with her arm out. Bisharp once again blocked it, this time using his palm as a shield and placing a firm grip against it.

"And of course since my shield is not a real one, I can change it into a glove," the knight said, Blaziken remarking, "But it was already a glove to begin with!" the knight ignoring these words and hurling the chicken high into the air.

When he noticed Blaziken descend, clearly took weak to counter or anything like that, the knight proceeded to lean back, striking a bridge formation. The crowd was now in full panic while Hito exclaimed, "Lord only knows what Bisharp has planned with his rib blades sticking upward like that!"

With that, Blaziken's back fell hard against the blades, her eyes and beak wide open as Bisharp shouted, "REVERSE GUILLOTINE!" Blaziken now seeming to be stuck against his blades.

"NO, BLAZIKEN!" Machoke belted, Aipom also filled with terror as Bisharp wrapped his arms around the bird, holding on tight and exclaimed, "RIBCAGE OF TORMENT!"

The knight leapt high above the ring, leaning backwards and flipping over one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. Everyone knew what was going to come next as he had finished off Throh with this exact same technique, and it went just as they suspected with Blaziken's head being slammed hard against the canvas.

All went silent as Bisharp released his hold on Blaziken, allowing her to collapse. Hito stared at this for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and ringing the bell, exclaiming, "THE WINNER IS BISHARP!" the crowd crying out in horror.

Machoke's eyes were wide open as he forgot about how scared he was of fighting Bisharp. As such, he got up and sprinted to the side of the ring, placing his hands against the canvas and breathing heavily, hoping Blaziken was alright.

The chicken managed to find the strength to open one eye, a light smirk on her face as she uttered, "How-how did I do?" coughing a bit as more blood came from her mouth.

Machoke continued to stare in silence until the chicken asked, "Did you s-s-see enough of his..." coughing some more before adding, "s-skills?"

"Wait," Machoke remarked, "Are you telling me you knew you would lose?" Blaziken snickering before coughing again and uttering, "E-Even I-I-I know when I'm in no c-condition to f-f-fight. I j-just needed to l-l-last long enough for Bisharp to show off h-his abilities."

Aipom had come to the side of the ring as well, the monkey hearing this loud and clear as her eyes sparkled, the monkey thinking, 'I see now. She took in more pain so Machoke would know how to defeat Bisharp.'

"I hate to break up your touching conversation," Bisharp stated, walking over to Blaziken before adding, "This valiant warrior has been badly wounded and needs medical treatment right away," Machoke nodding and turning to the crowd exclaiming, "Someone call a doctor!" Aipom quickly pulling a cellphone out of her handbag as Machoke narrowed his eyelids thinking, 'She has a cellphone too?'

Blaziken had expelled the last of her energy telling Machoke all that stuff earlier, so she was out like a light when a group of medics rushed in, putting her on a stretcher. Machoke was trembling all over. Sure, he was more than up to facing Bisharp for Blaziken's sake before, but after seeing him show enough kindness to even suggest medical treatment was unnerving for some reason.

"Sir Machoke," Bisharp said, Machoke's eyes widening as Bisharp said, "I propose we postpone our duel until dawn tomorrow. That is just a tad past seven o'clock, in case you were wondering."

'Oh sure, when it's him fighting, he's allowed to take a break,' Machoke thought with a grimace but figured this would give him some time to prepare himself. Sure, waking up early was far from his cup of tea, but for Blaziken and Osaka's sake, he would have to do this. After all, Blaziken had exposed Bisharp's abilities so he could use them to his advantage. There was no way he was going to lose.


	11. Chapter 11

That evening, Aipom had told Machoke about a nearby gym, the boy assuring her he would go there to prepare himself for his match with Bisharp. But before he could speed off, Aipom tapped him on the shoulder and told him he had something for her.

"I bought you this earlier today but forgot I had," the monkey said, pulling a cellphone out of her handbag, Machoke's eyes widening, a big smile forming on his face as he exclaimed, "OH MY GOD, YOU ARE THE BEST TRAINER EVER!" taking hold of the phone, even happier when he realized right off the bat that this was the latest model meaning Aipom had not spared any expenses.

"Now, Machoke," Aipom stated with a very serious look on her face, "you are to be responsible with this phone. No long distance calls unless it's really important because I'm already paying for your phone bill and if I see a bunch of stuff added to the expenses, I will not hesitate to hit you again," Machoke's eyes going wide as the monkey added, "Furthermore, this phone is mostly for emergencies. You can call up your friends every now and then, but no talking to them for more than ten minutes. Heck, that might even be too generous."

Machoke groaned and thought, 'I really should have seen this coming,' Aipom saying, "Oh, press this icon right here."

Machoke blinked as the monkey sighed, "It's a touch-screen phone," the boy nodding and replying, "Oh, right, I'd forgotten about that," the boy pressing the icon as a small list of contacts came up, Aipom replying, "I happened to get the numbers of your friends and family, so if you need to call any of them, this will make it easier for you."

Aipom handed him a manual to explain all the other features to him, the boy's excitement reaching and all-time high as the monkey added, "Don't spend all afternoon focused on that, though. You still need to train," the boy nodding and looking for a place to put his phone, Aipom saying, "You have street clothes in the hotel room, remember?" the boy nodding and replying, "Oh yeah, thanks."

Soon enough, Machoke was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of pants, fear still filling him as he decided to drown out such thoughts by calling up Gardevoir. He knew Aipom had told him no long-distance calls, but he had already come up with a cover story, that being his reason for calling up Gardevoir was simply to make sure she and Gallade were okay and nothing more.

The siblings were currently sitting on a bench in the local park, both looking rather distressed for some reason when Gardevoir heard a lovely tune coming from somewhere nearby, the girl squeaking and looking around when Gallade sighed, "It's your ringtone, remember?" the girl laughing nervously and replying, "Right."

With that, the girl reached her hand under her jersey and pulled the phone out saying, "Wow, those girls at the store were right. My chest does make for a good carrying case," Gallade not even bothering to tell her how suggestive that looked and instead reminded her that her phone could only ring six times before the answering machine came on.

With that, Gardevoir quickly pressed an icon with a green phone on it and held it up to the side of her head squeaking, "Hi!" feeling a bit nervous about using a cellphone for the first time in her life, her eyes sparkling when she heard Machoke respond, the girl moving the phone away from her head and squeaking, "It's Machoke, Gallade! Machoke just called me!"

She placed the phone back to the side of her head as Machoke asked, "This is the right number, right?" Gardevoir replying, "Yes, you got the right number. So what's up?"

"I was just wondering how you're doing," Machoke replied, Gardevoir saying, "Things are okay here, actually. Even since we stopped Rotom and Scrafty, no villains have shown up. Though as happy as I am that you called, shouldn't you be training right now?"

"What?" Machoke remarked, Gardevoir replying, "We saw what happened on TV," Machoke biting his collar and thinking, 'Of course,' the girl adding, "Don't let Blaziken's loss be in vein. I know you can beat up Bisharp!"

The boy took a deep breath and replied, "Yeah, damn right I can," a hint of uncertainty in his voice as Gardevoir squeaked, "I'll be watching you on TV tomorrow!"

With that, Machoke hung up and sighed, "What am I thinking?" the boy shaking his head and saying to himself, "What kind of hero am I? I was so afraid of the fight to come that I was willing to do anything to ignore it! I need to train right now!"

With that, the boy rushed to the gym Aipom had told him about. At the very least, the knight did seem more civilized than the usual villain. Maybe this would not be so difficult.

Upon entering, he started working vigorously with the weights provided. There was even a part of him wanting to train with Aipom but then he remembered how harsh her training was and decided against it. He may have wanted to win, but he was not that desperate.

Before heading back to the hotel, the boy called up Gardevoir one last time, the girl replying, squealing with excitement over the fact that she had gotten two phone calls in one day. However, rather than talking about the match, Machoke decided to ask the girl what she had been up to with no evil to fight."

"Outside of watching your matches, I've been going to the gym with Gallade," Gardevoir stated, "It's rather exhausting, so we only spend about an hour there, which is apparently recommended anyway."

"That sounds good," Machoke replied, "You feel any stronger?" the girl flexing her right arm but not getting much muscle from it as she smiled and replied, "I don't look any stronger, but I do feel stronger," Machoke replying, "Well, if you feel stronger, it must be working."

"It's all thanks to you," Gardevoir replied with a light blush, "You gave me the courage to step into the ring and face a villain," Machoke asking, "But didn't you volunteer before I said anything?" Gardevoir shaking her head and replying, "I did, but I didn't really think I could win. You made me realize it's possible."

Machoke decided not to bring up the fact that it was Gardevoir's special power that had really allowed her to win that match so easily. After all, she seemed to have a lot more spirit now and that was not something the boy would like to break, especially since he was still struggling to get his fighting spirit to always stick with him.

After more talking, the two said goodnight before Machoke hung up, looking at the clock and noticing it was only nine as he groaned, "I can't believe I'm going to bed so early. How do people in the work force deal with this?"

With that, he entered the hotel suite, surprised to see Blaziken not in the room before remembering she was in the hospital. Thus was the risk of being a hero.

Aipom exited the bathroom at that moment brushing her teeth while holding the toothbrush with her tail hand and noticed Machoke, using one of her normal hands to point toward a table next to his bed. This very table had a TV remote on it, the boy blinking as Aipom nodded, pointing at the TV. She would have said all this stuff, but again, she was brushing her teeth.

Machoke shrugged, rather glad she was giving him permission to watch TV before bed, but when he turned it on, he soon realized why she had told him to. As it just so happened, there was a news report going on right now in which a young female reporter was at the hospital Blaziken had been sent to.

"How did you know...?" Machoke started to ask before noticing Aipom had returned to the bathroom, the boy shrugging and deciding it was not important. The monkey's level of maturity for a ten-year-old was already confusing enough.

"We are here at the Osaka University Hospital," the woman said, "Two heroes have recently made a full recovery and are walking out today, but one seems to have taken their place. I intend to ask all three a few questions."

At that moment, Throh and Sawk were exiting the hospital, though neither looked too happy to be walking out. But why was this? Whatever it was, the reporter was more than eager to find out.

"Excuse me, you are Throh and Sawk, right?" pointing at Sawk first and Throh second as Throh replied, "Oh no, I'm Throh, he's Sawk," the woman's eyes widening as she nodded, replying, "Oh, okay, sorry about that," Sawk shaking his head and saying, "No need to apologize. It's an honest mistake."

The reporter proceeded to ask them how it felt to finally be out of the hospital and back on patrol, Sawk replying, "Well, it feels satisfying to be able to watch over the citizens again," the woman nodding before enquiring, "You looked rather upset when exiting the building. Why is that?"

"We saw how badly Blaziken had been beaten on the TV," Sawk replied, "We felt kind of bad because we know if we had beaten Onix and Bisharp, this never would have happened," Throh nodding and adding, "We went to check up on her and pay our respects. She wasn't able to say much, but she did leave a message for Machoke if he's listening."

Machoke's eyes went wide as Throh said, "Blaziken wants you to do your absolute best and kick Bisharp's ass," Sawk waving his finger and scolding, "Now, brother, we do not use such vulgar language," Throh shrugging and replying, "I'm just putting it how she did?"

After that, the reporter went inside of the hospital of Blaziken's room, commenting on how weak and battered she was. Machoke cringed at the sight of this, knowing he had to do his best. Blaziken had allowed herself to wind up like that all for the sake of helping him in his fight. There was no way he would let her down.

After a little more time spent watching the report, Machoke turned off the TV and took a deep breath, taking a shower and brushing his teeth when Aipom was done. He had done a lot of working out and now he just needed to get in enough sleep so he would be ready for the next day.

The night went by quickly as Machoke was close to oversleeping. Luckily for him, Aipom was more than ready for this as she smacked him hard across the face with her tail, the boy groaning, "Hey, what's the deal?" rubbing his cheek.

"Come on, you got an hour before your match!" Aipom exclaimed, "Come on, move it!" Machoke getting up and sighing, "You know it's against the rules to make noise in a hotel, right?" Aipom's eyes widening as she clasped her regular hands over her mouth, feeling beyond embarrassed to have made such a bone-headed mistake.

After forty-five minutes, Bisharp was already waiting by the ring as many had woken up extra-early to see this match. The little boy and his mother from two nights ago were also in the crowd, looking forward to seeing Machoke fight.

All the while, Hito was in his seat gulping down coffee from a cup that looked to be three times bigger than jumbo size. After taking a big gulp, the man took hold of the mic and exclaimed, "ALRIGHT, EVERYONE, IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR THE ONE MATCH TO DECIDE EVERYTHING!" the man taking a deep breath and toning his voice down while adding, "We've had two very intense matches up to this point, but now it's come down to this. If Machoke fails, Osaka is doomed!"

"Yeah, just lay on the pressure, why don't you?" came a voice as everyone turned to see Machoke walking toward the ring in his street clothes, Bisharp saying, "Nice of you to actually show up early," the boy smirking and replying, "You think I'd be late and let Osaka down? Fat chance!"

The knight folded his arms and asked, "As a man of honour, I feel like offering you a choice here. Would you like to start the match now or at dawn as was initially planned?" Machoke simply replying, "We'll still have it at dawn. I still need a little time to prepare myself," Bisharp bowing his head in respect.

Machoke then turned to Aipom and said, "You wait by my side of the ring, okay?" Aipom nodding while thinking, 'Wow, he's going to get in some extra training. Guess having everything up to him is enough to get him to try harder.'

She then noticed Throh and Sawk had gotten front-row seats, the monkey smiling and waving her tail hand at them as the two waved back, the monkey sprinting over and exclaiming, "I'm so happy to see that you're alright!" Sawk grinning and replying, "It'll take a lot more than a heavy beating to keep us down," Throh sighing, "Still, I wish we could be fighting Bisharp instead. I'm sure if we fought them again, we'd beat them."

"It's okay, brother," Sawk replied, patting Throh on the shoulder and adding, "Don't forget, Machoke is the one fighting for us and he's the son of the former champion. I am honoured to have him fight in our stead."

Once dawn rolled around, it was finally time as Hito exclaimed, "And now it's finally time for the match to begin, folks! In the red corner, the knight who has defeated both Throh and Blaziken with his fancy strategies, Bisharp!" the knight entering the same way he had for Blaziken. Once again, he felt no need to theatrics.

"And in the blue corner..." Hito stated, "weighing at seventy-and-a-half kilograms, the son of Machamp who has defeated the mighty Rotom, Machoke!" the crowd cheering wildly. However, their cheers came to an immediate halt when Machoke approached the drink dressed in a shogun outfit with serious look on his face. Two plastic swords were kept in sheathes as everyone stared in confusion.

After a while, Hito blinking and stated, "Oh, I see what Machoke is doing! Since Bisharp is a knight, Machoke has dressed up as a Shogun as a means of declaring war on him! Or at least that's what I think he's trying to get across."

The crowd still did not get it as Machoke ignored the lack of applause, removing the gear and tossing it outside of the ring. Gardevoir and Gallade saw this on TV as Gardevoir's eyes sparkled, the girl saying, "That was so cool."

The people were still silent as Bisharp said, "A grand entrance indeed, but I fail to see what the point of it was," Machoke putting on a look of confusion and remarking, "What do you mean you fail to see the point!? Wasn't it obvious!?" the boy turning to the crowd, no one there getting it either.

Machoke then turned to Aipom who asked, "That was supposed to be symbolic?" Machoke retorting, "YES!" the monkey scratching her head, the boy sighing, "Whatever, it doesn't matter."

Bisharp simply bowed his head to Machoke and said, "Either way, I look forward to seeing what you have in store for me. I have wanted to face you for a long time, and I felt doing so at full strength would be the best way to go about it."

"I'm glad you've been so patient because I'm not holding back," Machoke replied as the bell rang, the boy immediately rushing at Bisharp.

Aipom blinked and asked, "Wouldn't it be better to wait for Bisharp to make the first move?" Machoke remarking, "No way. After falling for Blaziken's trick, that's definitely not gonna work on him."

With that, the boy got close to Bisharp as the knight held up his wrists to protect himself, Machoke grabbing hold of both and holding them up before sending a hard kick into Bisharp's gut. The crowd went wild as Bisharp backed up, saying, "Not bad. You knew I was going to block and used that to your advantage."

"Wow, that was really good, Machoke," Aipom said with a big smile, Machoke grinning and replying, "Damn straight. I'm not making the same mistake Sawk did," the blue martial artist groaning, "Why did he have to bring that up?"

Bisharp simply ignored the pain dealt by the kick, what with his armour lightening the blow, and went on the offensive with his hands set up like a sword and shield, Machoke grinning and going straight for the shield arm, grabbing it with both hands to lock it in place.

"Nice try, but you forgot about my sword," Bisharp said, aiming the blade straight for the boy's head as he smirked, remarking, "No I didn't," the boy then lifting up the arm and twisting it so the palm was facing the spike, Bisharp's eyes going as he just barely stopped his spike in time to avoid stabbing his own hand.

Machoke took full advantage of this distraction by moving to Bisharp's side, still holding his shield arm and twisting it forward. This allowed him to flip the knight onto his back thus allowing him to deliver an elbow drop to his neck, the crowd breaking out into heavy cheers and applause.

"You're awesome, Machoke!" the child from the other day exclaiming, Machoke grinning with pride. Even he could not believe that worked as well as it did.

"I must admit, I'm quite impressed," Bisharp stated as he rose to his feet and folding his arms before adding, "However, you will not take advantage of me again, I can assure you."

With that, the knight proceeded to run toward Machoke with only his right arm up, its spike pointed toward the target. Machoke rolled his eyes and thought, 'Has he already run out of tricks? That's even easier to counter than his sword and shield technique.'

With that in mind, Machoke got ready to block the incoming strike, planning to grab the arm as opposed to holding his own arm in front of it and risking being cut. However, Bisharp stopped his wrist just before it made contact, Machoke confused by this when Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, LOOK OUT!" the boy not looking in time to notice Bisharp's left hand coming straight toward his gut, ramming hard into it.

Machoke's eyes widened as Bisharp proceeded to wrap his arms around the boy's neck, leaping up into the air and applying enough weight to push him down thus pinning him to the mat. After that, Bisharp removed his hands and quickly shifted his body so now his feet were clutching onto Machoke's head, the boy struggling to get out.

"You must think me a fool or something," Bisharp stated, "but it is you who is the court jester here. I knew Blaziken fought for so long so you would learn my techniques and come up with countermeasures for them. Well, it won't be so easy when I am using a different style."

"But if you knew that all along, why did you use your usual methods at first?" Aipom asked, Bisharp remarking, "I merely did it to lower Machoke's guard, let him think he was one step ahead of me. After all, with my armour, I can risk taking in a couple of hits."

The crowd gasped as Hito stated, "Well, it would seem Machoke's advantage was merely staged by Bisharp, the knight predicting every move and preparing to strike when we least expected it. What can Machoke do now that the knight is using a different method of attack?"

And it certainly seemed like things were sure to go from bad to worse when Bisharp lifted up his right arm, the spike facing Machoke's head, the boy crying out in terror as the knight shouted, "WRIST SWORD!" sending the spike toward Machoke's face.

"MACHOKE!" Aipom spat, "REMEMBER HOW YOU ESCAPED FROM MY HEAD LOCK!" Machoke's eyes widening as he spun his body, loosening Bisharp's hold on him and freeing himself just in time to avoid the incoming spike.

Bisharp's eyes were wide with shock as now the spike was stuck in the canvas, the knight trying desperately to pry it out only for Machoke to send a hard knee kick to his face. Machoke was about to use another one until Aipom informed him that Bisharp could easily use his left arm to block another one, Machoke nodding in understanding and backing up while the crowd applauded him.

Bisharp eventually freed his spike from the canvas, Machoke grinning and saying, "Your armour may protect you from pain, unfortunately for you, your face is completely unprotected, so I know that must have done a great deal of damage," Bisharp nodding and replying, "You're right. I have no argument against that. That was a clever strategy."

Machoke beamed until the knight added, "Of course, it wasn't completely yours," the boy blinking as Aipom thought, 'Is he trying to do what I think he is?' Bisharp shaking his head and stating, "You would have never thought to do that if Aipom hadn't told you to, isn't that right?"

Machoke's eyes were wide as he no counterpoint. This was true. The only reason he remembered how to get out of a head lock was because of Aipom's advice, and the only reason he knew not to continue his attack was because of the monkey.

"A true warrior wouldn't need to take advice," Bisharp stated with a cold look in his eyes, Machoke taking a deep breath and sighing, "He's right," Aipom's eyes wide with shock as she said, "Please, Machoke, don't listen to him," the boy remarking, "I'm sorry, Aipom, but I really should do this on my own. How can I call myself a true successor to my father if I need someone giving me advice during matches?"

The monkey backed up as Sawk and Throh stared at this, Aipom turning to them and shouting, "Say something!" Throh shrugging and replying, "Actually, I think Bisharp makes a valid argument," Sawk nodding and saying, "Me too."

Aipom was absolutely mortified to be hearing this. Everyone was against her, and this was made clear when the crowd cheered Machoke on, shouting things like "Yeah, tell it like it is!" and "Real men fight on their own!"

Bisharp nodded and said, "Good to see you are as courageous as your father," the knight then rushing at Machoke, the boy knowing now that he could not rely on the countermeasures he had thought up before. As such, he examined Bisharp's charge and noticed an opening in his midsection.

With that, the boy went in, attempting to tackle the knight before he could land his attack, Aipom shouting, "MACHOKE!" before remembering that the boy was no longer listening to her, the monkey clutching onto her skull and whimpering, "What can I do?"

However, her advice definitely could have saved the boy for no sooner had he made the connection with Bisharp's midsection did the knight proceed to wrap his arms around the boy, trapping him in place. To make matters worse, Bisharp had Machoke pressed up against his rib blades, the boy crying out in pain as the crowd cringed at the sight of this.

"What a horrible turn of events!" Hito barked, "Machoke went in for a tackle only to end up on the receiving end of that deadly ribcage! How can he possibly get out of this?"

"That's easy, he cannot," Bisharp remarked before leaping high above the ring, all going silent as the knight flipped himself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees so now Machoke's head was facing the mat. Sure, Machoke had seen this move twice now, but he had no idea how to counter it and as such, he was unable to avoid having his head slammed hard against the mat as Bisharp shouted, "RIBCAGE OF TORMENT!"

All went silent as the knight released his hold on Machoke, allowing the boy to fall on his back, blood coming out of the holes in his torso. Blaziken and Throh had both been taken out with one use of this move. Had Machoke just suffered the same fate?


	12. Chapter 12

All was silent through the area as Machoke was out like a light. Despite feeling so confident about the match, Bisharp had managed to turn everything in his favour and it had not taken him long to do so. Could the boy possibly recover from this?

Bisharp took a deep breath saying, "Much like the others before you, you put up a valiant effort. Unfortunately, you were much easier to defeat than those others for one simple reason, and do you want to know what that reason is?"

Aipom held her hands over her mouth, whimpering while Throh and Sawk glared angrily at the knight, Bisharp stating, "I know you won't be able to hear me for much longer, so I'll make it quick. You are a simpleton. Throh and Sawk may not have been a huge challenge, but they were at least capable of coming up with good strategies on their own. Blaziken I think would have stood more of a chance had she the strength to do so."

Aipom could hardly stand hearing this any longer as the knight added, "When you were dominating me, it was because you were using Blaziken's match as a reference, so that wasn't completely you doing the fighting. And when you countered my change in tactics, that was all Aipom's doing. And when you finally decided to fight by yourself, look what happened. You set yourself up for a really obvious trap and guaranteed your failure."

All went silent throughout the area as no one could possibly argue with this. Everything the knight said was correct. Even Aipom could not deny the cold, hard truth. Osaka was doomed and there was no changing this.

Bisharp simply cast Hito a glance and asked, "What are you waiting for? I have won, have I not?" the man nodding and replying, "Quite so. After a devastating Ribcage of Torment, it would seem our winner is-"

However, the man was cut off when he noticed Machoke's body start to twitch, everyone staring in absolute shock. Aipom's eyes widened as Machoke slowly pushed himself up, taking a deep breaths and rising to his feet. Bisharp turned and stared at the boy, trying his best to remain calm. How could this have happened?

"It's gonna take a lot more than that to take out a member of my family," Machoke said with a smirk, Bisharp asking, "What do you mean? No one has ever gotten up after taking in that move before," Aipom nodding and saying, "That's right. The Mach family is known for their tough bodies. It takes a lot to take them down."

With that, the crowd went wild as Machoke grinned, his grin fading as he winced, falling on one knee. Bisharp took a deep breath and said, "I am impressed that you were able to rise, but you are clearly in no condition to keep going. But I am a man of honour, so I will give you a chance to forfeit."

"No way!" Machoke spat, now ignoring the pain as he rose up again, adding, "I'll admit, you had a good point there. By myself, I didn't do so well, but that was merely an error in judgement! I won't let that happen again!"

"So you'll start listening to me again?" Aipom asked, Machoke shaking his head and remarking, "No, Aipom, I still think I should do this on my own. I'm just gonna think smarter now."

The monkey stared blankly before slapping her tail hand against her forehead, pinching it. As if that was not bad enough, the crowd once again cheered Machoke on, telling him that was the right way of thinking. And like before, Throh and Sawk were in complete agreement.

"I don't understand!" Aipom snapped at the two, "You two are a team, right!? How can you say it's best to fight alone!?" Sawk replying, "That is true that we do work well together, but if we relied on each other all the time, we would not be prepared for singles matches. For instance, the matches we won to protect Earth were just that, singles matches."

Throh nodded and added, "Exactly. If we were unprepared to fight alone, we would have lost those matches horribly, but since we've taught ourselves to fight alone when need be, we ended up winning, and as an added bonus, we're also top of the class."

"I still don't think this is right," Aipom whimpered, "It's my job to train him. What can I do if I don't train him?" Sawk suggesting, "Perhaps you could act like an actual ten-year-old kid would," the monkey screeching, "I CAN'T DO THAT!"

With that, the fight resumed as Machoke went on the defensive, thinking, 'Alright, I've gotta think this time,' Bisharp rushing toward him with his spikes out again. Luckily, Machoke was ready this time as he waited for Bisharp to swing his arms, crouching right under them and delivering a sweep kick to his ankles.

The knight's eyes widened as he fell on his back, Machoke latching his legs around Bisharp's right leg, using his hands to tuck the knight's left leg under all three. Bisharp winced in pain as Machoke tightened his hold, using his ankles to pull on the knight's legs.

"And Machoke catches Bisharp in a figure four leg lock!" Hito exclaimed while the crowd cheered, "It seems he can fight well on his own!"

"Hear that!?" Machoke asked with a confident grin, "Even I can think logically by myself!" Bisharp nodding and saying, "I will admit, this did catch me by surprise, but it is hardly enough to win you this dual."

Machoke sported a look of confusion before asking, "What the hell are you going on about now?" the knight replying, "Simply put, there is a simple way out of this technique," pressing the backs of his arms against the mat to roll himself over, flipping Machoke onto his belly and catching the boy in his own move, Hito stating, "And with little to no effort at all, Bisharp has managed to reverse the figure four leg lock!"

"I can't watch," Aipom whimpered, covering her eyes with her tail hand as Machoke cried out in pain. He had no idea how to get out of this.

"Well, now, you seem at a loss for idea," Bisharp said, "Tis a pity. You seemed to be doing so well on your own," Machoke retorting, "SHUT UP! I CAN TOTALLY BEAT YOU BY MYSELF!" the boy trying his best to come up with something only to draw a blank. He tried using the same manoeuvre Bisharp had used to reverse the original but this only ended up adding to the pain.

Suddenly, a thought came to him. He remembered something from the day after he defeated Rotom. Aipom had used her tail hand to get him in a similar hold. It was not the exactly same one, but it did involved him being on his belly while his legs were being twisted. When he had no way of escaping, Aipom told him something that could work, but what was it?

After letting out another cry of pain, Machoke remembered as he gritted his teeth grunting, "I know exactly how to get out of this!" the boy shifting his feet, Aipom's eyes widening when she saw this.

Bisharp blinked and said, "That will only hurt you more," Machoke remarking, "True, but it's the only way I know how to get out of this one!" the boy slowly but surely getting his legs out of the crossed position Bisharp had them in and successfully pried them out from the grip, the boy getting up once again and taking a deep breath.

"How did you even come to such an odd strategy?" Bisharp grunted, getting up himself, "There is another more practical way," Machoke sighing, "Well, I must confess, I didn't come up with that on my own," all going silent as Aipom's eyes sparkled, Machoke grinning and saying, "That's right. My teacher taught me that method and I am not the least bit ashamed to admit that."

Aipom let down tears of joy as Machoke turned to her with a smile and said, "Sorry, Aipom. I got carried away," Bisharp remarking, "Why are you acting like this is a good thing!?"

Machoke shot a glare at the knight, Bisharp feeling strangely intimidated by this look as the boy retorted, "For your information, there is no shame in taking advice from others! It's how people succeed, they get help when they're stuck!"

Throh and Sawk blinked before looking at one-another, then remembering how they prepared themselves for one-on-one combat by sparring with each other. Many audience members even started to realize how many time in their lives they needed guidance to get where they were. Gallade and Gardevoir nodded after Machoke gave this speech, Gardevoir having recently told Machoke of how much he had influenced her. Even Hito was remembering how it was his wife who suggested that he become an announcer.

"That's right, none of us can truly get far in life without seeking wisdom first," Machoke added, "In fact, that leg lock I used on you was something I learned in Hero School. My finishing moves are those of my father, not my own, but they're effective so I have no problem using them!"

Bisharp winced and remarked, "So you admit that you can't come up with any original techniques," Machoke nodding and smiling with confidence, replying, "Neither can you."

All went silent as Bisharp remarked, "I beg your pardon?" Machoke smirking and asking, "Can you honestly tell me you taught yourself every single move you know? I mean, you said it yourself, that reversal you used was a simple method meaning someone else had already come up with it first!"

Bisharp's eyes widened as the boy added, "Also, everyone knows most if not all knights are not self-taught. Most of them need at least one instructor to learn so much as the basics," Bisharp gritting his teeth and remembering how his mother, a knight by the name of Pawniard had taught him the Ribcage of Torment. Every other signature move of his was simply a souped up version of some move his mother had taught him, and she had learned her techniques from a shogun samurai.

"Alright, fine!" Bisharp snapped, now finally losing his patience as everyone stared in shock, the knight barking, "You're right! I learned everything I knew from others! But that's okay! I can still come up with my own techniques! Watch this!"

Machoke braced himself when Pawniard leaped up onto the top rope, spreading his arms out and leaping off of it shouting, "GOLDEN BATTLE AXE!" spinning vertically toward the boy and slicing him down the middle with his axe, blood flying from the big gash that formed as a result.

With that, the knight backed away from Machoke, pointed at him and exclaimed, "How do you like that!? Bet you didn't see that coming!?" Machoke taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the pain as he remarked, "Are you kidding? That's the most unoriginal technique I've ever seen. What caught me off-guard was you pretty much admitting that it took you this long to find a use for that axe head of yours."

"YOU LIE!" Bisharp snapped, leaping up onto the top rope against and leaping off, spinning toward the boy a second time shouting, "GOLDEN BATTLE AXE!"

This time Machoke was more than ready as he threw his arms out, grabbing hold of the blade and lifting the knight up so his legs were pointed toward the sky, his neck resting up against Machoke's shoulder. With that, the boy leaned back and slammed the back of his helmet hard into the canvas, small cracks forming as the knight quickly rolled away, getting back upright and breathing hard, Hito shouting, "And Machoke hits Bisharp hard with a brainbuster!"

"As I said, that's the most unoriginal technique I've seen," Machoke stated, folding his arms as Aipom exclaimed, "YEAH, KEEP IT UP, MACHOKE!" the crowd going wild as well.

However, the area went quiet again when they heard the sound of laughter, soon realizing that was Bisharp making this sound. After all this time of remaining calm and collected, Machoke seemed to have brought out a part of him even he never believed existed, his inner psycho.

"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'VE WON!" Bisharp spat, a maniacal grin on his face as he added, "I just came up with another move!" the knight getting up on his tiptoes with his arms spread out, the knight spinning like a top before shouting, "SWORDS DANCE!"

Machoke had to admit, this move definitely looked like it would be hard to dodge as he asked, "Any ideas, Aipom?" the monkey rubbing her chin with her tail hand before snapping its fingers and exclaiming, "I got it! Machoke, aim for his helmet!"

The boy nodded, understanding exactly what the primate meant as he propelled himself up off the mat, leaping over Bisharp's head just as he was about to make contact with him. With that, the boy spread his feet out just far enough so each one would land next to the axe head, the boy landing hard against the helmet and leaping off, the cracks getting bigger, everyone watching in amazement as the protective headgear shattered into small fragments.

Bisharp's eyes were wider than ever before as he watched the remains of his helmet fall to the mat, some girls in the audience freaking out at the sight of rather long black hair flowing down Bisharp's head. The knight started to twitch, Machoke uttering, "Uh oh," as Bisharp sported another maniacal grin, now chuckling like a mad man.

"Aipom, I think I broke him," Machoke murmured, fear filling his body as Aipom shook her head, saying, "Don't let it get to you. You've actually made him the most vulnerable he's ever been. This is the perfect chance to finish him off."

"NO IT'S NOT!" Bisharp snapped, everyone staring in silence as the knight let out an insane laugh before adding, "I CAN STILL WIN THIS! THIS IS BUT A MINOR SETBACK!"

With that, the knight charged toward Machoke, now moving slightly faster now that the weight of his helmet was gone. Machoke attempted to fight back only for Bisharp to swerve to the right, shouting, "WRIST SWORD!" holding out one of his spikes and striking Machoke's side, the boy crying out in pain.

Seeing this, the child in the audience gritted his teeth and got up shouting, "MACHOKE! MACHOKE!" his mother getting up and chanting Machoke's name as well, the rest of the audience doing the same. Throh and Sawk nodded before doing and the same and while they knew the boy would not be able to hear them, Gallade and Gardevoir did the same thing. Even Aipom found herself joining in as Machoke grinned, acting as if the pain to his side was nothing.

Bisharp fumed and spat, "SHUT UP! YOU'RE ALL MORONS!" Machoke remarking, "Oh, is someone jealous because he doesn't have any support?" Bisharp retorting, "AND YOU SHUT UP TOO! I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU!"

With that, the knight rushed at Machoke a second time, striking his side again. However, the third time, Machoke had figured out his pattern as he threw his arm out, grabbing hold of Bisharp's wrist as his eyes widened. Because the knight had been running so fast, he ended up slipping, Machoke letting him go and allowing him to fall on his back.

Unfortunately, Bisharp was not going to let this get to him as he got up before Machoke could take advantage of his position, getting behind the boy and wrapping his arms around him, once again planting his rib blades into the boy's skin. Machoke cried out in pain as all went silent, Bisharp taking a deep breath and saying, "You're weak enough now. It may not be an original move, but like your signature moves, it's effective and that's good enough for me."

Aipom gasped as all of her hope had left her. She knew one more hit from this would certainly end it and to make matters worse, even she had no clue how to get out of it.

With that, the knight leapt high above the ring shouting, "RIBCAGE OF TORMENT!" but just as he was about to flip his body around, Machoke spat, "I JUST FOUND A WAY TO ESCAPE FROM THIS ONE!"

"But that's impossible!" Bisharp spat, Machoke remarking, "Yeah, impossible if you're afraid of hurting yourself, but right now, I'm in too much pain to care."

With that, the boy wriggled around and started loosening Bisharp's hold on him, the knight's eyes going wide as he asked, "What are you doing? You're only making the cuts bigger!" Machoke remarking, "Yeah, but this pain doesn't compare to the move it's associated with!"

And soon enough, Machoke was able to pry himself away from the rib blades as he lifted up his arms from between Bisharp's, resting them on his shoulders and pushing himself up while the crowd gasped in amazement. After that, the boy leaned forward, getting behind the knight while upside-down and grabbing his ankles, applying enough force to flip both of them over.

"No..." Bisharp uttered when Machoke's ankles were latched to his neck, his arms spread out and locked in place as he struggled to get free shouting, "NO!"

Machoke took a deep breath before shouting, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" allowing himself to fall hard and fast into the mat, Bisharp's head ramming into the canvas as all went silent, the knight coughing up blood and passing out, Machoke releasing him and allowing his body to collapse.

All went silent as Hito examined the knight for a few seconds before nodding and ringing the bell, shouting, "And after an intense match, our winner is Machoke!" the crowd going wild as Aipom took a deep breath, wiping sweat from her forehead with her tail hand as Sawk asked, "Were you as scared as we were?" the monkey grinning nervously and fibbing, "Of course not. I knew he'd get out of that. He's my student, after all."

In their suite, Gardevoir squealed with delight and wrapped her arm around Gallade's neck as the boy exclaimed, "Gardevoir, stop squealing! We'll receive complaints!" a voice from next door shouting, "No complaints here! I'm just as happy as you are!"

Bisharp lay on the mat for some time as Machoke walked over to him, the knight slowly opening his eyes and breathing heavily. He scowled at the boy in front of him, not saying a thing. It was bad enough he had lost. The last thing he needed was someone to rub salt in the wound.

However, it seemed his assumption was wrong with Machoke leaned down, taking hold of the knight's hand and shaking it before saying, "Here's to a good match. I thought I was gonna lose for sure."

"How dare you!?" the knight snapped, not having enough strength to strike his hand away as the boy simply removed it, saying, "Bisharp, as far as villains go, you don't seem like such a bad guy. Why do you serve them?"

The knight took a deep breath and said, "It's funny. I went on about how people should do their own things but in reality, I'm not a leader, I'm a follower. I saw how big the league of villains was and how much they were succeeding and felt that being a villain would give me a brighter future."

"There's nothing bright about villainy," Machoke replied, "Being evil is all about being cold and spreading darkness upon the world. What's bright about that?"

The knight then gritted his teeth and remarked, "Why do you care? I've been a beast, the kind that guys like me should be slaying!" Machoke shaking his head and replying, "A true monster would never admit to being one."

Bisharp's eyes widened as he suddenly lost consciousness, closing his eyes and falling asleep, paramedics headed toward the ring as they took him off to get treatment. After he was fully recovered, he would be sent to prison for sure, but Machoke was confident that the knight would improve for the better.

Aipom leaped into the ring and started hugging Machoke's legs, weeping into it as the boy blinked, asking, "Are you crying?" the monkey retorting, "NO, OF COURSE I'M NOT! GENIUSES DON'T CRY!" the boy rolling his eyes and letting her stay there for a few seconds for the next ten seconds before swinging his leg, saying, "That's enough. Get off, you little runt."

By around noon, Blaziken had made enough of a recovery to leave the hospital but still felt a little too weak to get into any fights again. This was hardly a big deal as she had no reason to fight anyone at the moment. Either way, she was really happy to not only be out of the hospital but she was also glad that Machoke had won.

After a quick lunch, Aipom gladly paying for the whole thing as she felt both fighters deserved a reward for their hard work, it was time for the heroes to head to the train station. Throh and Sawk naturally saw them off, expressing their gratitude for all the help. All-in-all, this had truly been a successful visit to Osaka.

Machoke finally decided to take a well-deserved nap seeing as the train ride would take nine hours. Aipom smiled warmly before pulling a small blanket out of her handbag and putting it over the boy's body. Sure, it was only big enough to cover his torso, not even wide enough to get his arms, but it was still helpful. Either way, Aipom was proud of her student and only hoped for more success from him in the days to come.


	13. Chapter 13

It had been a week since Onix and Bisharp had been defeated and things were going rather well. Heroes in other areas seemed to be doing a good job keeping the villains at bay and no one had attacked Tokyo or Osaka. Sure, this did not stop the heroes from training every now and then, but it was still nice to have a break.

Machoke was currently walking with his friends downtown sporting a T-shirt and a pair of slacks. He was starting to get used to wearing clothes for a change, especially since he needed pants to carry his cellphone.

Gardevoir could not wear her jersey today as it was in the wash but she had no problem wearing a woman's sleeveless top even if her chest spike created a slit in it too. She had even attempted to style her hair in a ponytail today only for it to return to normal within a matter of minutes. Though one thing that did remain the same was that she was still wearing her spiked collar, the girl having never taken it off.

Gallade only had a pair of shorts on. Unlike his sister, he felt wrong about ruining perfectly good shirts and since their kind could get away with being shirtless, he saw nothing wrong with this.

Blaziken sported a standard outfit, sporting a pair of cargo pants and a nice T-shirt. Girly outfits were not her thing, so it only made sense.

"Alright, so what do you guys wanna do today?" Machoke asked, Gallade asking, "Aren't we doing something right now," Machoke sighing, "I mean something that doesn't involve walking."

"We could go to that club again," Blaziken suggested, Machoke replying, "I dunno, we've gone there three times this week," Gallade nodding and stating, "He raises a good point. If we keep going, it'll lose its specialness."

"I know just the thing!" Gardevoir squeaked, everyone turning to her as she grinned wide, suggesting, "Let's go to the gym!" all going silent as Machoke sighed, "We're trying to avoid work today. Aipom gave me permission to slack off today. I'm not losing that chance," Gardevoir looking down as the boy panicked, waving his arms in front of his face and saying, "Not that it wasn't a good idea."

Blaziken folded her arms and said, "We could try swimming at the local pool. That way we have fun and exercise at the same time," Machoke sighing, "I would like that but I can't swim," everyone staring at him as the boy looked down, murmuring, "It's in my genetics."

Gallade then snapped his fingers and asked, "How about we go see a movie? I don't think anyone can object to that!" the others looking at one-another before grinning and nodding. Gallade was right, no one could possibly say no to a movie.

When the group arrived, they looked over the listings, wonder in their eyes. Unfortunately, that wonder soon turned to disappointment when not one title appealed to them. Well, Gardevoir was interested in the latest chick flick, but she had a feeling the others would not want to see that with her.

"Well, great, the one good idea anyone had and society has to go and ruin it," Machoke grumbled, all going silent until the boy sighed, "To the club."

The group entered and were greeted by some of the regulars. The owner grinned and said, "Hey, guys. You want your usual?" Machoke shrugging and replying, "Sure," he and Gardevoir getting their usual fruit punch while Blaziken and Gallade had their alcoholic drinks.

After a few minutes, the group had completely forgotten why they were so resistant in coming here. A few games of pool, rounds at the arcade machine and even a bit of karaoke was all they needed to enjoy themselves. They even mingled with some guests they had never seen before, Gallade even getting a couple of phone numbers while plenty of guys seemed to admire Blaziken and Gardevoir.

There was even a point where one of the boys there flirted with Gardevoir, the girl not fully aware that he was doing this. After a few minutes of talking, the boy asked, "I was thinking maybe we could hang out sometime, you know, out of the club. May I have your phone number?" Gardevoir smiling lightly and replying, "Sure," before blinking and sitting silently for a few seconds, the girl eventually saying, "Sorry, I don't actually know my phone number."

The boy looked down as the girl squeaked, "It's okay!" before pointing at Gallade saying, "You can ask him. He has me in his contacts," the boy staring wide-eyed, getting the feeling that Gardevoir's older brother would likely be over-protective as he said, "On second thought, hanging out at the club is fine," the boy laughing nervously.

After another hour, the group headed out as Blaziken stretched, saying, "This has been a fun day," Gallade nodding and replying, "Yeah, I'm glad we decided to come here," Machoke looking rather bummed as Gardevoir looked at him with concern.

"Um, it something wrong?" Gardevoir asked with a look of concern as Blaziken and Gallade turned to face the boy, Blaziken asking, "Yeah, what's the deal?" Gallade sighing, "Look, Machoke, I'm sorry we couldn't find something else to do, but-"

"That's not it," Machoke replied, "It's just... I don't understand this. You three have people hitting on you constantly and I don't," Gardevoir blinking and squeaking, "Guys don't hit on me," Gallade and Blaziken rubbing the backs of their heads and laughing nervously, not sure whether to tell her or not.

Still, they did see Machoke's point. He deserved at least as much attention as they did and yet girls hardly ever spoke to him and when they did, it was usually just polite enquiry. Sure, Machoke did not exactly mind polite conversation, but he still felt rather envious that his friends were treated as celebrities while he was not.

"I'm sure plenty of girls are interested in you," Gallade said with a comforting smile, "They're just probably just afraid to say so," Machoke sighing, "Thanks for trying to help, but I need to face facts. I'm nowhere near as popular as you guys."

With that, the boy headed home as Blaziken snapped, "Come on, you're getting upset over nothing! Even if your fangirls did ask you out, it's not like they would actually love you!" Machoke holding up his hand and fibbing, "I know that. I'm just tired, so I'm going home, alright?" Blaziken blinking and nodding her head, replying, "Well, if you're sure, um, see you around I guess."

With that, Machoke walked down the sidewalk with no actual destination in mind and sighed, looking around before noticing a building with the word 'Matchmaker' on the sign. His eyes sparkled at the sight of this as this could only be a sign from the heavens. Or at least that was what he figured it was.

The boy wasted no time entering the establishment as he walked over to a desk where a young man sat, the man grinning and saying, "Hello there, sir. I'm Kaito West," Machoke nodding and shaking his hand, the man pulling out a sheet of paper saying, "You came to the right place. Just fill out this form outlining what you're looking for in a woman and I'll do the rest."

"Thank you, magical man," Machoke said, his eyes sparkling as Kaito replied, "Don't thank me yet. You still gotta fill out that form first."

With that, the boy walked over to a seat where a couple of other teenaged boys but mostly young men were sitting and filling out the forms. Seeing this, the boy looked over the questions and filled out the answers as thorough as he could without going overboard. Some questions did not matter too much to him such as hair colour and nationality, but he had plenty to say for many of the others.

While filling it out, the boy noticed one man getting a very positive response, Kaito almost instantly finding the perfect girl to set him up with. Machoke grinned, thinking this was definitely a good sign as he finished writing what he needed to, handing in the form.

"Alright, I'll just check this over and..." Kaito said, looking over the form as he stood silently, his eyes going wide. The man laughed and asked, "Are you sure about all of this?" Machoke nodding as Kaito looked over a list of women looking for matches as well, the man's eyes going wide as he forced a big smile and uttered through clenched teeth, "Hold on, kid, I might need a few seconds to think this over."

The man flipped through the files, breathing rather heavily as Machoke asked, "You okay?" the man remarking, "I'M FINE! BE PATIENT, SON!" the man breaking out into hysterics before collapsing in his seat, cackling while shouting, "I will find you the perfect match! I have never failed and never will!"

Machoke stared silently and backed away, saying, "On second thought, maybe this isn't for me. Thanks anyway," the boy taking off and taking a deep breath, a look of disappointment on his face.

However, while walking down the streets, he heard a feminine voice coming from behind him saying, "Hi there," Machoke turning and noticing a very attractive young girl standing before him. The boy looked around as the girl giggled, saying, "Yes, I mean you."

"Oh," Machoke replied, blinking before asking, "Well, um, do you need directions or something? I haven't been living in Tokyo very long, but I do know where most places are."

"Actually," the girl replied, biting her lower lip before adding, "You look really strong and handsome," Machoke's eyes and mouth opening wide as the girl asked, "Would you like to go out sometime?"

Machoke felt a love arrow strike his heart at that exact moment, the boy standing spellbound for a few seconds as the girl blinked, asking, "You okay?" Machoke snapping back to reality as he grinned and replied, "Sure," nodding his head.

What he had not expected was that the girl wanted to go out right now, and it certainly did not help that Aipom only allowed him to carry a small fraction of their allowance with him. He had actually planned on begging Aipom to offer him more cash, but seeing as he no longer had the time, he would have to make due with what he had.

However, while walking with the girl, she noticed a fancy restaurant and squealed, "Hey, let's have dinner there!" Machoke laughing nervously and replying, "Well, I would love to, but I'm not really that hungry. How about some fast food instead?" the girl pouting but soon replacing the look with a grin as she replied, "Sure, that sounds great."

Machoke could have sworn she was forcing this. After all, he had been used to his mother giving him that same look quite a number of times, and not just the day she had forced him into the car to take him to Hero School either.

Even so, he was grateful the girl had agreed to this as the two were headed to the nearest fast food restaurant they could find. But just as they approached one, a young boy was walking by when he turned his gaze over to them, his eyes widening, but why? What was it about these two that caused him to react like this?

This was soon made clear when the boy stormed over to Machoke, tapping him on the shoulder as he turned and said, "Oh, hello," the boy punching him in the face as he snapped, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!?"

"GIRLFRIEND!?" Machoke retorted as the girl started letting down tears, sniffing, "It's horrible, Gendo! He said if I didn't go out with him, he'd beat me up!" the boy glaring at the hero and shouting, "OH, YOU ARE DEAD!"

Machoke simply rose to his feet and thought, 'So that's what this was. She was trying to make her boyfriend jealous,' the boy taking a deep breath and removing his shirt, grunting, "You clearly have no idea who you're dealing with, so I'll go easy on you!"

But just as he was about to attack the boy, the girl proceeded to bend down, flashing her cleavage. Machoke tried his best to ignore this but found himself unable to turn away as the jealous boyfriend delivering a high kick to his face. Machoke tried to fight back only for the girl to lower her pants, revealing her panties as Machoke once again found himself unable to look away.

Needless to say, this kept up for a while until Machoke realized he would not stand a chance under these conditions and gave up, the boy putting his shirt back on and hobbling away while the boyfriend rested an arm on his girlfriend's shoulder saying, "You're safe from that freak of nature, honey. He can't hurt you."

Machoke soon regained his strength as he could handle multiple hits from an Earthling and whined to himself, "I don't get it. Is this fate telling me I can't date human girls? My dad married a human."

At that moment, the boy noticed a young girl riding by on a bicycle, the girl screeching to a halt and looking at him. She had short black hair, a nice thin build and a descent sized chest that was neither too big nor too small. She was wearing a navy blue schoolgirl outfit at the moment.

"What do you want?" Machoke asked, now trembling, "Are you here to take advantage of me too?" the girl gasping, "No, you just look really beat up," Machoke sighing, "It's none of your concern. You don't even know me."

"Well, that is true," the girl replied before smiling and getting off her bike, using her foot to lower a break for it and walking over to Machoke, saying, "I'm Reika," the boy blinking and saying, "Sounds fitting."

With that, the girl had him climb into the seat saying, "Hold on tight. I'm kind of in a hurry right now," Machoke blinking when the girl sped off toward her house, Machoke doing his best to hang on.

Soon, the two arrived at a nice house with a beautiful garden, Machoke blinking and saying, "You didn't have to bring me here," the girl sighing, "Someone in your condition really shouldn't be walking around this late at night."

With that, Reika looked at her watch and panicked, muttering, "Oh no, Mom's gonna kill me," Machoke asking, "What do you mean?" the girl sighing, "It's way past my curfew. She told me I could hang out with my friends tonight but only if I'm back at ten. I must have lost track of the time."

Machoke blinked thinking, 'She sounds more strict than Aipom,' Reika hushing the boy sneaking toward the door whispering, "Don't worry, she always watches TV at this time, so hopefully she won't hear the door open."

However, when Reika turned the doorknob, someone pulled it open while her hand was still holding it, a woman who looked to be in her forties standing there with a cold look on her face asking, "Where have you been, young lady!?"

Machoke blinked as the woman turned to her and sighed, "I thought I told you not to bring boys home!" the boy laughing nervously and saying, "I can leave if you'd like."

However, Reika explained why she had brought Machoke with her as her mother, whose name was Keiko, decided to let him in. However, it was not long until she scolded him for being out so late and told him to call up his parents.

All the while, Machoke found it not only strange that neither of these two knew who he was but also the fact that neither drew attention to the fact that he was clearly not from Earth. Then he remembered how long beings like him had been living on the planet and that second part suddenly made sense.

Even so, he quickly called the number for his house as Aipom, who was in the middle of washing dishes, used her hand tail to answer the phone, holding it up to her ear and saying, "Hello, who is it?"

After a quick conversation, Machoke nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I'll be waiting here," before turning away from the phone and asking, "Hey, Keiko, what's your address?" the woman giving him the location as he nodded, holding the phone back up to the side of his head and telling Aipom what he had just heard, saying goodbye and hanging up.

"Well, Reika, it was nice of you to bring him here, but you really should have asked for his address and brought him to his house," Keiko sighed as Reika protested, "But, Mom, I was already late! If I took any longer, you would have been even more worried!" the woman sighing, "I would have been more okay if you had told me you were escorting an injured person back home."

Machoke braced himself for another scolding only for the woman to smile sweetly, asking, "Would you like some tea?" the boy blinking and nodding, replying, "Sure," Keiko getting up and heading to the kitchen as Reika sighed, "I hate making her worry like this," Machoke looking over at a photo of Reika and Keiko standing next to a rather handsome-looking young man, Machoke getting the idea as he nodded, saying nothing else.

All the while, Aipom had taken a taxi to the address, a look of frustration on her face as she grumbled, "I don't see why I should have to do this. He's older than me. He can handle himself," the monkey looking over the paper and nodding, looking up and spotting the house she was looking for.

With that, the monkey took a deep breath, finding something oddly familiar about this place as she used her tail to reach the doorbell, giving it a ring. After a few seconds, Keiko answered and looked around before noticing a hand rise up in front of her face, pointing downward.

When Keiko directed her gaze toward Aipom, her eyes went wide as she asked, "Aipom is that you?" the monkey's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "Keiko! I haven't seen you since I was three!"

The monkey hugged the woman's leg as Keiko chuckled, saying, "I'm surprised you remember me," kneeling down and saying, "Wow, have you ever grown," then blinking and asking, "But why are you here?"

Soon, all was explained as Reika stared at Machoke silently, uttering, "Oh my god, I thought you looked familiar," Keiko all the while looking over the boy and saying, "So Machamp had a son and now he's fighting to protect Earth just like he did," the woman letting out a sigh.

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you," Reika said, "I saw you kick the crap out of both Rotom and Bisharp and I thought you were so cool!" Machoke's eyes sparkling as he replied, "Really?" the girl nodding and saying, "Oh yeah! I love the wrestling channel, and your matches, as small in number as they are, really are something else!"

'Nice to have at least one fangirl,' Machoke thought with a smile as Keiko then turned to Aipom asking, "Where's Ambipom," Aipom replying, "Mommy's got a new job on Hero Planet. She teaches young kids six-to-eight the basics of fighting," Keiko nodding and replying, "That must be so nice, but it must be hard living on your own."

"It's no trouble at all," Aipom replied, shaking her head as Keiko sighing, "Just thinking of Ambipom and Machamp... it reminds me of the good old days, the days before Kala."

"Hey, that's my mom's name," Machoke said, Keiko nodding and replying, "Yeah, I know."

"Wait," Reika said, turning to face her mom and asking, "Did you know Machamp?" Keiko nodding and replying, "Yes. We met long ago. I was grocery shopping when a villain broke in and tried to steal everything. Luckily for us, Machamp came in and took care of him, saving everyone and..." Reika blinking and asking, "And what?" Keiko sporting a lovestruck look and sighing, "took my breath away."

Machoke's eyes widened as he asked, "You had a thing for my dad?" Keiko nodding and replying, "Oh yes, and he had feelings for me too," Reika's eyes widening as well as she exclaimed, "Wow, I didn't know you were into guys like that!"

Aipom all the while scratched her head thinking, 'Mommy never told me about this,' Machoke asking, "So, what happened between you two?" Reika shooting the boy a glare and growling, "Your dad better not have done something to my mom!"

"Nothing like that," Keiko replied with a chuckle before adding, "Usually when someone says he or she is the problem in a relationship, it's just to be nice, but in the case of ours, well, I was the problem."

All three stared in confusion as the woman sighed, "The truth was, I never told him how I felt. Every day, I would say to myself 'this is the day' but I was too afraid, and then Kala came along. She was the opposite of me, out-going, brave, strong, an excellent match for Machamp. I didn't have a chance."

"The tragedy of romance, so beautiful," Reika sighed, Keiko nodding and saying, "But I was happy he found someone, and, well, I met the perfect man for me, even if it wasn't meant to last," Machoke now looking distressed as he thought, 'Damn, I had a feeling that was the case but I didn't know I'd be right!'

With that, the woman then looked at the clock and said, "I am so sorry to have kept you. It's so late!" the woman then turning to Reika and scolding, "You should be in head! You have school tomorrow!" Reika nodding and heading up the stairs, Aipom saying, "Luckily for you, I called for another taxi to come around before I got here," Machoke laughing nervously and replying, "Sometimes I forget you're not old enough to have a license."

After the two left, Reika ran back downstairs but stopped at halfway and said, "One last thing, mom," Keiko turning to her as she added, "You're a really cool mom, you know that?" the girl racing back upstairs as Keiko chuckled, rolling her eyes and thinking, 'My daughter and his son... I wonder if it could work.'


	14. Chapter 14

It was another fine day in Tokyo as Gallade and Gardevoir decided to do some grocery shopping. Today, Gardevoir was wearing a nice pink T-shirt, Gallade saying, "Ever since you put on that jersey, you've been experimenting with a lot of clothes," Gardevoir nodding and replying, "I never thought I'd care about how I look, but I really like trying new things."

When the two entered a grocery store, Gallade asked, "So when were you thinking of going to the gym today?" Gardevoir replying, "I was thinking maybe after we put our groceries in the fridge," Gallade nodding and saying, "Sounds like a plan."

The two were looking down the aisles when they noticed Blaziken pass by, looking in the fruit section. Gardevoir smiled and squeaked, "Hi, Blaziken!" the chicken turning and noticing her, smiling and saying, "Oh, hey, you two. What's up?"

"Just doing a little shopping," Gallade replied, Blaziken nodding and replying, "Same here," the chicken taking a deep breath before adding, "Just think, a little over a week ago, we could hardly go a day without worrying about something interrupting our past times. Now nothing's come up."

"Yeah, it's great, isn't it?" Gallade asked as Gardevoir looked rather upset about something, the other two looking at her as her brother asked, "Something wrong, sis?"

"I've been thinking lately," Gardevoir replied, Blaziken asking, "About what?" the girl squeaking, "About Lucario. I can't help but wonder what he's been up to since he quit villainy."

"I haven't thought too much about that, but you got a point," Blaziken replied with a sigh, "He could have joined us but he chose not to. I hope wherever he is, he's not back to causing trouble."

As a matter of fact, Lucario was currently in London sporting the same street clothes he had been wearing back in Tokyo. He was simply wandering around, seeming to have no goal for the day or anything. But why specifically was he in London?

As it just so happened, London was where he grew up. Lucario was British and perhaps he simply wanted to see his old home. Either way, he neither looked happy nor disappointed to be back. He simply looked neutral and nothing more.

The dog moved along when he noticed a young boy playing walking with his father. Seeing how happy the boy was, he let out a sigh. Sure, he claimed not to have any family-related issues, but what was up with that reaction?

He simply shook his head, choosing to ignore this as he carried on, a female voice coming from behind him and saying, "Hey, I know you," the dog turning and blinking as the owner of the voice added, "I saw you on the TV, or rather the telly, eh?" the stranger winking after saying that as Lucario sighed, "If it means anything to you, I prefer to call it TV myself."

The stranger talking to him was a hero who had been stationed to protect London. Hailing from Florida, this hero was a light-blue lobster half Lucario's size. She had two yellow antennae atop her head and naturally had two claws. The left claw was was more like a tiny lance than an actual claw while her right claw was more like what one would expect from a lobster save for the lower half being yellow.

"Name's Clauncher," the lobster said, holding out her left claw and adding, "Nice to meet you, Lucario," the dog nodding and shaking her claw, replying, "Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too."

Lucario then scratched the back of his head saying, "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have somewhere I need to be right now," his stomach suddenly growling, his cheeks turning pink as he maintained his neutral look. However, Clauncher saw right through that look and realized he the dog could not afford to buy himself food.

And soon enough, he found himself at a fish and chips restaurant with Clauncher paying for him, Lucario stating, "You seem oddly content eating at a fish and chips place," Clauncher blinking and asking, "Why is it odd?" taking a bite of cod, the dog blinking and replying, "Never mind. It's not important."

"So, you mentioned you were heading somewhere," Clauncher stated, Lucario blinking before nodding and replying, "Yes, I did, didn't I?" the lobster asking, "Would you mind if I ask where?"

The dog let out a sigh before replying, "I'm sorry, but it's personal," Clauncher nodding and saying, "Okay, I understand. You don't need to talk if you don't want to."

After a few seconds of eating, Lucario decided as long as he was being treated to lunch, he could at least try to be more social as he said, "I have a question for you. If you saw me on TV, why are you acting so friendly toward me?" the lobster shrugging and replying, "Because you're not a bad guy anymore, plain and simple."

"But I never said I was turning good," Lucario remarked, "I just said I was going to look for my own path. How do you know I won't turn evil again?" Clauncher simply resting her claws behind her head and replying, "I personally prefer to live in the now. Much less stressful than worrying about the future."

At that moment, a man in fancy clothing walked by and raised his hat saying, "Top of the morning, Clauncher," the lobster waving and saying, "Top of the morning to you too, Mister Thomas," Lucario saying, "You seem to be fitting in rather well."

Clauncher nodded and replied, "Of course. I don't just focus on keeping people safe. I also like to socialize and make friends with most of the people I meet. I feel lucky to live in an age where folks like us living on Earth is acceptable."

Soon enough, Lucario had eaten everything as he got up, dabbing his lips with a napkin before saying, "Thank you very much for treating me, Miss Clauncher," the lobster replying, "Don't mention it. And just Clauncher is fine," the dog nodding before saying a quick goodbye and heading off, a smile forming on his face.

The dog carried on when he noticed an old lady up against a corner, trembling in fear as a three thugs stood over her, one snickering and saying, "Aye, look at this little old lady's face. Ain't it priceless?" another adding, "Now hand over all your money and we'll let you return home in one piece."

The group stopped when Lucario walked over to them and tapped them on the shoulders, one of them turning and asking, "And who the bloody hell are you?" Lucario grimacing and stating, "It's not right to pick on the elderly."

"And what are you gonna do about it, you circus freak?" the other thug asked as Lucario sighed, "Well, don't say I didn't give you a chance," the dog ramming his palm hard into the man's face shouting, "FORCE PALM!"

When the man fell hard on his back, the dog glared at the others and said, "Unless you wish to join your friend, I recommend running," the other two lifting up their unconscious partner by the shoulders and fleeing in terror, Lucario taking a deep breath and holding out his hand toward the woman.

"Thank you so much," the lady said with a smile, accepting his help, "It's so nice to have another hero in this town to help out that nice Clauncher lady," Lucario replying, "Oh no, I'm just here for a short visit, that's all."

The woman bowed her head and said, "Still, it was very nice meeting you," before walking off, Lucario feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. It was strange, too, because when he rescued Gardevoir from a robber, he did not feel much from it yet strangely enough, seeing that old lady full of gratitude made him feel like a million dollars, or in this case well over six-hundred-thousand pounds.

The dog continued walking when suddenly, a thick cloud formed. Lucario took a deep breath and thought, 'Oh right, I forgot,' thunder sounding before rain began pouring down, the dog shrugging and deciding it was not important.

He then noticed a child running across the street, his eyes widening when a car was speeding right toward him. Seeing this, Lucario immediately sprinted toward the scene, picking up the kid by the back of his collar and pulling him out of the way, the dog growling at the car. He could not believe someone could be so careless.

However, he calmed when the citizens passing by noticed this, smiling and saying nice things about his actions. Even the child smiled up at him and saying, "Thank you, sir," before running over to a middle-aged woman nearby, Lucario sighing, "Watch your kid more closely," the woman hugging her son and sniffing, "Thank you."

With that, Lucario pulled out a pocket watch and noticed it was now seven in the afternoon. The dog groaned as he had hoped to finish his business much sooner and leave London on this exact day. But seven did not seem all that late, so why was he in such a hurry?

Whatever reason, he started to pick up the pace, suddenly screeching to a halt when he noticed the bank being robbed, but not by another group of humans. No, this time it was a pair of villains.

One was a yellow stick bug with leaves covering her body. Her arms were shaped like blades with holes on the edges. Her partner was a light-brown crocodile with black stripes and eyes like a bandit mask. Both were holding big bags of money.

"This is your best plan yet, Leavanny," the crocodile said with a grin, "We keep this up and we'll be the richest villains people in the world," the bug nodding and replying, "Got that right, Krokorok," before asking, "Say, do you want me to make you an umbrella?" the crocodile shaking his head and replying, "Don't worry about it. I like the rain."

"Funny, because I don't take too kindly to it myself," Lucario said, folding his arms and standing before them. The two slowly turned to face him, Leavanny's eyes widening when Krokorok did not look so scared.

"What's the matter?" the crocodile asked, "It's Lucario. He's our buddy, remember?" Leavanny retorting, "Did you forget he's not one of us anymore!?" Lucario nodding and replying, "That's right."

"Oh yeah," Krokorok replied, "but he's not exactly on the side of good either. I do remember him saying that," Lucario nodding and replying, "You are correct, my good sir, but I am feeling bored today and need something to pass the time," the dog planting his right fist into his left palm.

All went silent as Krokorok laughed, slapping his knee before saying, "Wow, I didn't know you had a sense of humour," Lucario tapping his foot as Leavanny gulped, uttering, "I don't think he's joking."

With that, Lucario charged at the two, holding his arms out and hooking them both on the neck. Since they were spellbound, they were unable to respond as she fell hard on their backs.

However, before Lucario could do more, he noticed string against his legs, his eyes widening when he noticed it was coming from Leavanny. The bug laughed wickedly and said, "I feel insulted. You forgot all about my sewing threads."

Before Lucario could retaliate, Krokorok rose to his feet, letting out a loud battle cry before shouting, "CROCODILE CRUNCH!" biting hard into the dog's shoulder.

Lucario cried out in pain before ramming his elbow hard into the reptile's gut, forcing him to let go. But before he could do more, Leavanny had taken this time to bind both his ankles before pulling the string toward herself, causing him to trip and fall forward, Krokorok holding up his knee and allowing Lucario's chin to ram right into it.

After that, Leavanny proceeded to return her string before wrapping her arms around Lucario's neck saying, "I'll admit, on your own, you're very powerful, but you made a big mistake challenging both of us," the bug leaping high into the air shouting, "LEAF TORNADO!" spinning her body around and flipping her entire body so their heads were facing the ground, the bug ramming his forehead hard into the concrete.

Lucario's head was now bleeding as he grunted in pain, doing his best to ignore this and get back up, Krokorok lunging at him and shouting, "CROCODILE CRUNCH!" only for Lucario to fall backward, sending both his feet into the crocodile's midsection.

With Krokorok distracted, Lucario proceeded to send a series of punches into his face only for Leavanny to dash beside him, shouting, "X-SCISSOR!" crossing the leaves on the ends of her arms and ramming them hard into the dog's neck, his eyes widening as he coughed up blood.

"Like Leavanny said, you made a big mistake challenging us," Krokorok said as he placed his hands firmly against Lucario's arms, lashing his teeth again.

Just as he was about to use his Crocodile Crunch a third time, a certain lobster leaped into the area, spinning her body like a bouncing ball toward the crocodile and ramming her tail hard into his forehead. This was more than enough to get him to let go of Lucario, backing up and rubbing said spot.

Leavanny gritted her teeth in frustration shouting, "DAMMIT, WE WERE SO CLOSE!" Krokorok shaking the pain off and saying, "Calm down, Leavanny. I was just caught off-guard. There's no way that shrimp can be of much help."

Lucario looked at Clauncher who grinned and said, "Hey, I'm London's official hero, so there's no sense letting you beat the bad guys alone," the dog about to object, but deep down inside, he knew he needed help, so he said nothing and just nodded his head.

With that, both rushed toward the villains as Leavanny simply released thin threads of string from her leap tips, binding them to Lucario. But before she could take full advantage of this, Clauncher saw them almost instantly and used her claws to cut them, thus freeing the dog from the binding material.

Krokorok simply rushed at the lobster shouting, "YOU'RE ALREADY BECOMING A PAIN!" the crocodile lashing out his jaws again only for Clauncher to roll up into a ball, quickly getting behind him and resting her claws against his sides.

"What's a half-pint like you going to do!?" Krokorok asked tauntingly before letting out a laugh, Clauncher grinning and replying, "Oh, you shouldn't underestimate me just 'cause I'm short," the lobster leaning back, Krokorok's eyes widening when Clauncher managed to lift him up with incredible ease, leaning back and planting his head into the concrete, connecting a backdrop.

"Now to make sure you stay down!" the lobster added before propelling herself high into the air, rolling into a ball again and spinning toward Krokorok's chest. When she got close enough, she stopped her vertical spin and held her claws high above her head shouting, "CRABHAMMER!" the claw actually doubling in size before she rammed it hard into the crocodile's belly, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets before he closed them, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth.

All the while, Lucario was no longer having trouble now that he could focus on Leavanny by himself. He had managed to avoid a few karate chops from her as he saw an opening and shouted, "FORCE PALM!" sending his palm hard into her chest, causing her to cough up blood as she tried to hold her ground.

"No, I've come too far to let you ruin this for me!" Leavanny grunted, crossing her arms and shouting, "X-SCISSOR!" rushing toward the dog only for him to stand his ground. Once she was close enough, he held out his arms and took hold of her wrists, stopping her dead in her tracks.

With that, Lucario proceeded to lower her arms and pull on them while they were still crossed. Leavanny cried out in pain when the dog ended up pulling hard enough to dislocate her bones, after which he got behind her and grabbed hold of her wrists again.

Lucario leaned back, pulling the stick bug down and resting her back against his chest spike, shouting, "LONDON BRIDGE!" as he pulled hard. However, he did not wish to commit murder anymore, so he applied just enough force to break her back but not enough for the whole spike to go straight through, especially since she was skinny enough to be cut in half by it.

With that, both villains were out cold as Clauncher grinned at Lucario, saying, "We make a pretty good team, wouldn't you say?" Lucario taking a deep breath and replying, "You got skills, kid."

With that, police officers from Hero Planet were called up to arrest Leavanny and Krokorok who had regained consciousness. But as the two were being handcuffed, Leavanny looked deep into Lucario's eyes and asked, "Why did you spare my life?" the dog taking a deep breath and replying, "I don't like killing anymore."

As the car took off, the dog took a deep breath as Clauncher noticed a big clock nearby saying eight-thirty as she asked, "Hey, don't you need to be somewhere soon?" Lucario pulling out his pocket watch and sighing, "You're right," the dog sprinting off into the distance.

While he headed down, he was actually starting to find himself annoyed by all this rain. Sure, he did not really care before, but now his fur was starting to feel heavy from all the moisture. Sure, he had his leather jacket to protect part of him, but that did not cover as much especially since he refused to button it up.

While he was running he noticed a car stop next to him, the driver opening the door and revealing herself to be the mother of the child he had saved. She looked at him and asked, "Hello, sir, do you need a ride somewhere?" the dog nodding and replying, "Yes."

He sat in the back seat as her son was seated next to the mother in the front, the boy looking back and grinning, saying, "Hi, Mister Doggy," Lucario smiling lightly at the kid before giving the address he was looking for. They would have noticed his bleeding shoulder had his jacket not been covering it.

After a while, they arrived in front of a big mansion, the woman saying, "I can't believe I didn't notice you were Riolu's son. You look so much like him," Lucario chuckling and replying, "Yeah, I do, don't I?" the child waving goodbye as the dog waved back.

With that, he slowly walked toward the entrance, taking a deep breath and standing before it for a few seconds. He cleared his throat and slicked his ears back, biting his lip and slapping himself on the cheek. He had come all this way and he would not allow himself to turn back now.

After a few more seconds, he gently placed his hand against the doorknocker, banging on the door once before doing it four more times as a quicker pace. After a few seconds, a young human woman with long brown hair wearing a light-blue gown answered, her eyes going wide as a smile formed on her face, Lucario leaning in for a hug as the woman cradled his head, though only the head for both knew exactly what would happen if their torsos were to touch. This woman was Lucario's mother, Sarah.

Soon enough, Lucario was dry and wearing an unbuttoned fancy suit and sitting at a table for dinner, a human girl around his age with hair similar to his mother's but had freckles on her face sitting across from him. She had an uneasy look on her face as Lucario pretended not to see this asking, "How is school going, Amanda?" the girl muttering, "Fine."

The dog blinked and enquired, "What's with that look, then," Amanda turning away and remarking, "I think you know exactly what it is," Sarah remarking, "Amanda, that's rude! Your brother finally comes home after all this time and-"

"It's fine," Lucario replied, taking a deep breath and getting up, sighing, "I ran away and became a villain. She has all the right to spite me," Amanda nodding and replying, "Exactly. Thank you for understanding."

"But you admitted you were wrong," Sarah replied, "Not only that, but you came back here to make amends! I think it takes a lot of courage to do something like that!"

Lucario took a deep breath and replied, "Look, I don't really have any desire to stay here. I came to talk to Father, but he's clearly not here. Sorry for wasting your time," the dog getting up as Sarah scowled at Amanda, her hands against her hips as the girl simply had her arms folded, uttering, "Hmph!"

However, just as Lucario was about to exit the room, the girl got up and ran over to the dog, placing her hands on his shoulders and saying, "Please look at me, brother!" Lucario turning as Amanda was letting down tears, sniffing, "I'm sorry for being so mean! It's just, when you ran away, I was so sad!"

Lucario's eyes went wide as he remembered it now. Growing up, he and Amanda had a stronger relationship than most siblings. He would always play with her when their parents were too busy. Whenever bullies picked on Amanda, Lucario would always come to her rescue. On her first day of school, Lucario requested a ride there an hour before classes started just to give her the grand tour of the building so she would know where everything was, even walking her to her first class.

Amanda still had tears rolling down her cheeks as she held up her right fist, Lucario nodding and lifting up his left fist, the two pounding them together and holding them there. After that, the two opened up their hands as Amanda wrapped her fingers around Lucario's. The two had warm smiles on their faces as they held their hands like this for a few seconds.

"Good day, my lady," Lucario said with a bow as Amanda gave a curtsy with her left hand pulling on her dress while replying, "Same to you, good sir," the two laughing. Lucario could not believe it. He was actually happy after so many years.

With that, the two returned to the dinner table and talked about various different subjects. There was nothing in particular they were discussing. They just said whatever came to mind and that was good enough, Sarah more than happy to see them connecting with each other.

"Please tell me you're planning on staying, Lucario," Amanda replied, "You only said those things because you didn't think I wanted you around, right?" Lucario taking a deep breath and replying, "I'm sorry, Amanda, but-" Amanda asking, "But what?" Lucario replying, "There's something I feel I must do, and I need to do it my own way. I don't want anyone in my family getting involved with this."

Amanda shook her head until Sarah rested a hand on her shoulder, nodding her head with a smile and saying, "Lucario, whatever it is you need to do, we will support you," Amanda taking a deep breath before smiling lightly and nodding her head.

But just as Lucario was about to take his leave, he noticed it was already midnight, the dog looking out the window at the pouring rain and chuckling before turning to Amanda and saying, "Well, I guess I could put my plans aside for one night," Amanda's eyes sparkling as she gave her brother a hug, though remembered to keep her body away from his spike.


	15. Chapter 15

Today marked a whole month since Machoke and the others had graduated. This meant two things, the first being the monthly allowance. But what was the other thing? This had not yet been stated.

As it just so happened, the chairman, Weedle, would call in four heroes each hour and have them brought to Hero Planet to show off how good they had gotten in friendly sparring matches. Currently, a pangolin with razor sharp claws and spikes coming from his back named Sandslash was going up against a grizzly bear with a yellow circle on his belly named Ursaring. A humanoid being with pale purple skin and brown shorts and shoes named Tyrogue sat on the sidelines watching them as his opponent had not shown up.

Sandslash propelled herself off the ropes and rolled up into a ball shouting, "SPINY BOULDER!" Ursaring allowing himself to take the blow as he ignored the pain and grabbed hold of the pangolin. Sandslash retracted from her ball-like formation as his head was now facing the mat, the mammal trying to free herself only for the bear to slam her head into the mat, performing a tombstone.

Ursaring proceeded to kneel down, sending a punch toward Sandslash's face only for the pangolin to easily block it. She smirked as panic filled Ursaring's face, Sandslash shouting, "REVERSE BOULDER!" tucking herself into a ball again and rolling backwards, Ursaring going under her multiple times and taking in cuts to his back before being flung into the turnbuckle, Weedle ringing the bell with his tail.

Ursaring twitched as Sandslash walked over, saying, "Sorry about that, Ursaring. I got a little carried away," the bear spitting out a bit of blood and replying, "It's okay. I welcome the challenge."

"NO!" Weedle remarked, Ursaring asking, "Was there something wrong with my response?" the caterpillar grimacing and grunting, "This just won't do!"

Tyrogue looked at the bug and asked, "Excuse me, sir, but what are you getting at?" Weedle remarking, "The fact that Machoke was supposed to be your opponent and he isn't here!" Tyrogue replying, "That's okay. I can just wait for one of these two to recover and-"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" Weedle retorted, taking a deep breath, "It's not much Machoke, either. All four of the heroes stationed in Tokyo claim to be sick and therefore unable to attend!" Ursaring asking, "But isn't that a legitimate excuse? I don't think Tyrogue wants a cold," Weedle retorting, "SHUT UP!"

The three heroes stared as the bug sighed, "What I mean is that it makes no sense that three heroes can come down with simultaneous colds, especially Blaziken! Fire types are, by nature, unable to get colds!" Sandslash asking, "Is this true?" Weedle nodding and sighing, "Something fishy is going on and I'm going to find out what it is."

Meanwhile, on Hero Planet, Machoke was currently lying in bed, coughing like crazy as Aipom said, "You really do look terrible, and on sparring day no less," Machoke moaning in a raspy tone, "I was looking forward to it," coughing some more as Aipom sighed, "Well, your temperature was one-hundred degrees. You'd better stay in all day."

Machoke coughed some more, watching Aipom and thinking, 'Alright, soon enough that bitter chocolate I slipped in her tea will work its magic,' the monkey's eyes shooting wide open as she screeched, "HOLD ON, I'LL BE BACK TO MAKE YOU CHICKEN SOUP IN A BIT!" racing into the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

Machoke smirked and said, "Dipping the thermometer in boiling water when she's not looking, never fails," the boy getting up and dashing out the door. And no sooner had he done this had the toilet flushed, Aipom exiting and taking a deep breath, her eyes widening as he groaned, "Why didn't I see this coming!?"

Soon enough, Machoke, who had his street clothes on the whole time, met up with his friends downtown and said, "Hey, guys," Gardevoir wearing her jersey while Gallade wore black jeans today, the two waving at him. Blaziken was wearing blue jeans and a green T-shirt.

"I feel a little bad lying to the chairman, but this was a great idea," Blaziken said, Gardevoir blushing and squeaking, "This is so exciting! I've never done anything rebellious before!" Gallade sighing, "Just don't make it a trend, okay, sis?"

At that moment, Reika ran over to the group exclaiming, "Hey there!" Blaziken grinning and replying, "Hey, good to you to join us, Reika," Machoke nodding with a big smile on his face Gallade and Gardevoir looking at each other before chuckling. Machoke's infatuation with the girl was written all over his face.

However, just as the two were about to move elsewhere, they heard a sound and looked behind them to notice what looked like a comet streaking by in the distance, all of them blinking before Gallade said, "Huh, you don't see that everyday," the group carrying on.

It seemed the 'comet' was actually a spaceship being used by Weedle and it had crash-landed as the bug groaned, slowly climbing out while wearing a small backback and uttering, "Right... that's why we don't use light speed to land on planets anymore," shaking off the pain and sporting a serious look exclaiming, "The important thing is I'm here! I'll just need to call for a ride later!"

And sure enough, the group was at their usual club, the usual guests of course greeting them. Reika had actually called up a couple of her friends and it was not long until they were joining the group on a couch, one of them feeling rather nervous around Gallade.

"I guess we may as well all get acquainted," Reika said, turning to her girlfriends and pointing at the heroes adding, "These are the guys I've been hanging out with these last few weeks, Machoke, Gallade, Gardevoir and Blaziken," all of them waving as one of her friends, a girl with short black hair saying, "I'm Cici," a nervous blush on her face as Gardevoir smiled lightly saying, "It's very nice to meet you."

Cici felt a little more comfortable as she could sense Gardevoir was also a little nervous to be around so many new people. Neither were exactly the most social of their kind, though Gardevoir was getting much better at talking to new people these days.

The other girl, who had long white hair smiled bright and said, "I'm Tsuya, nice to meetcha," the girl then scooching over to Gallade and running her finger along his leg adding, "Especially you," Gallade blinking and asking, "What are you doing?"

"I didn't really need to introduce you guys," Reika said to the heroes as Cici nodded, uttering, "We've all seen you on TV. We think you're amazing, though Tsuya especially likes-" Tsuya shooting Cici a creepy stare as the girl trembled, uttering, "Never mind, it's not important."

"Well, it's certainly great to have more members of our group," Blaziken said with a smirk, "So, who's up for karaoke?" Machoke getting up and replying, "Me! I wanna go first this time!" the others cheering him on.

At that moment, Weedle was crawling by when he heard a familiar sound coming from inside. The worm blinked and shook his head, saying, "I'm getting old. I thought for sure I just heard Machoke's voice," his eyes widening when the boy hit a higher note, the caterpillar thinking, 'Oh, I definitely heard him that time.'

With that, he stood up tall enough to see through the window, a look of fury forming on his face when he saw all four heroes in the club. What a disgrace. He expected such irresponsible behaviour from Machoke, but to see the other three acting like this was enough to drive him off the deep end. The way he saw it, Machoke must have had a bad influence on them. There was no better explanation he could come up with.

With that in mind, he propped down his backpack and pulled out a cellphone, dialling a few numbers and holding it up to the side of his head. He quickly got a response as he asked, "Hey, Riolu, how has the final exam been going?"

"Well, of the forty-four students we had the beginning of the semester, thirty-one has graduated," the dog replied as he turned to the four rings adding, "Though that number might go up. We have four left," Weedle asking, "And how are they doing?"

Before the dog could answer he noticed one particular fighter, a thin green bug holding Bouffalant high above his head. Between each of her body segments as a cream-white attachment and her eyes were narrow. Her head had three sharp points at the back and her face looked more like that of a dinosaur than a bug. She also had spikes of green fur on her thighs and claws on her feet. With two pairs of wings coming from her back, this fighter was known as Scyther.

After lifting up Bouffalant, the bug leaped high above the ring, using her wings to help her get higher before leaning backwards and shouting in a thick German accent, "FLYING HAMMER!" ramming the bison's head hard into the mat and knocking him out cold.

And at that exact moment, the other four fighters finished off their own opponents as Riolu pressed the button on a stop watch saying, "They all defeated their opponents at the same time, sir, three minutes and twenty-five seconds."

Weedle's eyes went wide as he stuttered, "Th-three minutes and-and twenty-f-f-five?" Riolu replying, "Yeah. Why do you ask?" the bug taking a few seconds to collect himself before replying, "That's a new record, way better than the four stationed in Tokyo."

"I don't follow, sir," Riolu replied as Weedle laughed lightly, hanging up the phone before his laughter got louder, a few passersby stopping to stare at the worm as he froze briefly before laughing nervously, saying, "Oh, don't mind me, fair citizens."

The following day, Machoke was at home doing pushups as punishment for running off, Aipom sighing, "I swear to God, you can be such a pain sometimes," Machoke groaning before asking, "If I invite you along for our next get-together, will that make you feel better?" the monkey biting her lip, her body twitching as she screeched, rubbing her head. Sure, she would have absolutely loved that, but it would have been irresponsible to go against her duties.

At that moment, the door opened up as Blaziken, Gallade and Gardevoir were standing at the doorway, Blaziken snapping, "MACHOKE, YOU GOTTA TURN ON THE TV RIGHT NOW!" Machoke blinking as Aipom asked, "Can't you guys knock first?" Gallade replying, "No time to explain."

With that, they flipped the TV on, turning it to the news channel as Weedle was on screen, Machoke asking, "Hey, what's that disgusting thing?" Aipom smacking the side of his face with her tail hand and remarking, "Don't be rude. That's Weedle, the chairman of Hero Planet."

"Alright, as you know, this report is regarding three particular heroes stationed in Japan, Machoke, Gallade, Gardevoir and Blaziken," the caterpillar said as Machoke grinned, saying, "I bet he's offering us all hero medals for our hard work," Gallade replying, "I dunno. He doesn't look too happy about this."

"How did you know he was going to talk about you guys?" Aipom asked as Gallade replied, "They stated it before the commercial break. I'm actually surprised we got here in time."

"It has recently come to my attention that these four have been slacking in their duties," the worm added, all four staring in shock as he grunted, "They think just because a villain hasn't shown up for a long time, it means they can just take a breather whenever they want."

"How did he find out?" Machoke asked, Aipom sighing, "It was only a matter of time," everyone glaring at her as she protested, "I SWEAR I DIDN'T TELL!"

Weedle then proceeded to state, "However, four very promising students have recently come to my attention. They have all simultaneously broken the record for the shortest time a student on Hero Planet has passed his or her final exam. As such, I am considering replacing Machoke and his team with them."

All went silent as all four gritted their teeth, Machoke feeling the most irritated of them all as Weedle added, "Now, I am a fair man, so I will give them a chance to defend themselves. In a few days from now, I will have them take on all four of my newcomers to defend their right to stay stationed in Tokyo. I will discuss further details tomorrow at this location," showing an address on the bottom of the screen before saying, "I recommend you four show up if you know what's good for you! And you know who you are!"

With that, the broadcast ended as Blaziken got up, barking, "HOW DARE HE SAY THAT ABOUT US!?" Gallade nodding and growling, "We have just as much right to be here as anyone!" Gardevoir not even sure what to say as Machoke spat, "This is complete utter bullshit!"

Aipom covered her ears, whining, "Can you tone down the language, please?" Machoke remarking, "I'll say whatever the hell I want! This is pure slander and he knows it!"

"Exactly right, Machoke," Blaziken replied with a nod, "After all, I defeated Onix and helped Machoke beat Bisharp," Machoke replying, "Don't forget I also defeated Rotom, and he was a tough one."

Gardevoir nodded and squeaked, "I beat Scrafty, and that wasn't easy!" Gallade adding, "Yeah, and I..." all going silent until Gallade uttered, "uh... what did I do again?"

"Oh, now we see who the real weak link is!" Machoke exclaimed tauntingly, "Gallade hasn't beaten anyone since he came to Earth!" Blaziken sighing, "Machoke, don't make fun of him," Gallade's eyes sparkling until the chicken added, "It's not his fault he's not as badass as we are," Gallade looking down and groaning, "They're right, I'm a failure," Gardevoir patting on him on the shoulder saying, "No you're not."

"Look, I'm sure Weedle recognizes and appreciates everything you've done," Aipom stated as everyone turned toward her, the monkey adding, "But he's right! You guys rarely ever go on patrol and you guys all faked a sickness yesterday just to get off work! That's not exactly what heroes should be doing!"

"She's right," Gardevoir whimpered, tears forming in her eyes as Gallade took a deep breath, holding his sister's shoulder and replying, "It's okay, sis," Blaziken nodding and replying, "That's right. We'll just have to prove them wrong when we wipe the floor with his new students. They're probably not as tough as he makes them sound."

Machoke nodded and folded his arms, stating, "Yeah, we're gonna put those wannabes in their place, right, guys?" Gallade and Blaziken cheering before looking at Gardevoir, the girl biting her lower lip before sporting a serious look, wiping her tears and nodding. There was no way they were going to fail.

"Well, you'd better start training now if you want to prove Weedle wrong," Aipom stated as the four nodded and ran into the yard, starting up rigorous training exercises, the monkey sighing, "Somehow I don't think that's gonna be good enough."

All the while, Lucario was at an airport when he saw this exact report on the TV, the dog blinking and saying to himself, "Perhaps my next stop shall be Tokyo."

The following day, many arrived at a fancy building as Weedle stood atop a podium saying, "Thank you all for coming. I'm sure you're all ready to hear the details regarding the upcoming event."

Many reporters were there as the four more recent graduates stood behind the caterpillar, all of them hidden under cloaks for dramatic effect. Everyone wanted to know as soon as possible who was under those disguises.

"I have proposed a tournament," Weedle said, everyone listening with interest as he added, "I will call it 'The Next Gen Battle'. Both teams will compete and whatever team has one member still standing will be stationed in Tokyo," one reporter asking, "So even if three members of a team fail, one member can win it for all of them?" the caterpillar nodding and replying, "That's correct."

With that, he then proceeded to say, "Now, graduates, reveal yourselves," the heroes removing their cloaks as everyone gazed in wonder. One was of course Scyther, the German bug who had beaten Bouffalant, Weedle directing everyone's attention to her first while saying, "Hailing from Germany, an insect of many talents, Scyther!" the bug waving at the crowd.

The other was a blue rhino beetle with yellow eyes, Weedle stating, "Hailing from Scotland is a beetle with a lot of strength, Heracross!" the beetle smiling sweetly at the crowd and saying, "Hi, nice to meet you all."

The third was a light-blue golem with bronze arm and leg bands along with a metal patch over what looked like a crack on his upper body. His shoulders and a couple of diamond formations on his wrists had yellow swirls on them, a roman armour skirt over his legs. Weedle pointed at him and added, "Coming to us from Rome is a golem with a lot of fighting spirit, Golurk!" the golem exclaiming, "I will crush my opponents into dust!"

Then finally, the last of the new graduates as a dark-brown rabbit with a short round tail. Her ears were brown on the top but almost two-thirds consisted of long strands of cream-coloured fur, the ends kind of resembling chubby fists. This same colour of fur was also present on two cotton ball-like tufts on her wrists and her feet right up to her knees also had this colour. Weedle simply stated, "And last but not least, coming to us from Egypt is a rabbit with a lot of speed, Lopunny!" the rabbit waving at the crowd with excitement.

One reporter stated, "I look forward to seeing them in battle, that is I would if their opponents had actually bothered to show up," Weedle replying, "Oh no, they showed up, surprisingly. I just have them waiting in another area right now. Come on out, guys!"

At that moment, the others also came in wearing cloaks as one reporter asked, "Weedle, I don't understand. We already know who they are," Weedle replying, "True, but do you know who's under which cloak?" the area going silent as Machoke grinned under his, thinking, 'This is a great disguise. I should use this when sneaking out of the house.'

With that, the bug explained, "Each member of the new team will pick one of these fighters. Whoever each one chooses will be his or her opponent for the first round. Now, who would like to pick first?"

"Me!" Scyther exclaimed, the bug stepping forward as Golurk grunted, "No fair! You always gotta go first!" Scyther shrugging and replying, "I strive to be number 1, Kamerad," the golem sighing, "I have no idea what that means."

With that, the bug thought hard before choosing the second to the left, said fighter removing his cloak to reveal Gallade underneath. The boy smirked, holding up his blade arms and saying, "I look forward to wiping the mat with you," Scyther smirking and remarking, "Funny, I was going to tell you the same thing."

Golurk then snapped, "Me next, everyone!" Lopunny and Heracross nodding, saying nothing to this as the golem did not even stop to think, pointing at the one on the far right one belting, "You! Show yourself so I can see your fear!"

The figure removed the cloak to reveal Blaziken underneath, though naturally there was no fear in her eyes. In fact, she looked more eager than ever to knock this guy's stone block off.

Lopunny bounced forward squealing, "This looks like fun!" tapping her chin and holding out her finger saying, "Eenie meenie miney mo..." the crowd and the other fighters groaning as she actually went through the entire chant, soon ending up with the one on the far left, said fighting taking a deep breath.

Gardevoir was underneath this one as she thought, 'Okay, Machoke said I have to look cool,' Weedle uttering, "Um, you have to take your cloak off," Gardevoir taking hold of one edge and throwing it off to the side with an intimidating look on her face, now sporting a black shirt with ripped sleeves as she pointed at Lopunny, squeaking, "You're going down like a clown Charlie Brown!"

All went silent as the last cloaked member exclaimed, "YOU ROCK, GARDEVOIR!" Gallade laughing nervously and saying, "Okay, Machoke is not allowed to pick her entrances anymore."

Weedle simply let out a sigh, saying, "Well, we already know it's him under the cloak, so I'll forgive that violation of my 'no talking under revealed' terms," Lopunny's eyes sparkling as she clapped excitedly, squealing, "OH MY GOD, THAT WAS SO COOL! I'VE HEARD YOU'RE SUPER SHY AND TIMID, BUT YOU JUST PROVED ALL OF THAT WRONG!"

"Thank you," Gardevoir squealed, lightly blushing as Machoke shot her a look, the girl blinking and nodding, sporting a confident look and adding, "I mean, your praise means nothing!" Gallade groaning, "It's okay to be a good sport, sis."

With that, Machoke tried the same thing with his cloak only to end up stepping on the bottom and causing himself to fall on his back, his cloak falling over his face as he flailed his arms shouting, "WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS!?" the team even more embarrassed now.

Heracross simply helped him remove it saying, "Here you go, sir," Machoke blinking as the beetle smiled bright, saying, "I am so happy to be your opponent. I'm looking forward to this."

The boy blinked and said, "You seem quite reasonable," the boy not even sure whether to act tough or scared right now. Heracross really did not seem all that bad.

"Alright, it would seem the match-ups have been decided," Weedle stated, "You will be divided up into sub groups. Group A will consist of Machoke, Gardevoir, Heracross and Lopunny with Gardevoir and Lopunny fighting in the first match. They will meet in a park located here," pointing to a park on a map before adding, "Group B will be the rest, with Gallade and Scyther being the first to fight in that division. They will be located here," the caterpillar pointing at another spot on the map.

"Hold it," Blaziken said, Weedle asking, "Yes?" the chicken asking, "So, you're saying if just one member of our team can make it through the tournament, we all stay in Tokyo?" Weedle nodding as Blaziken added, "What if two members of the same team win back-to-back?" Weedle replying, "Like any tournament, the winner of one match will face the other winner, so it is possible for two members of the same team to compete."

"But hold on," Gallade uttered, then trembling as he asked, "What if we all fail in the first round?" Machoke shouting, "DON'T SAY THAT!" Blaziken sighing, "He's right. We can't rule out the possibility," Weedle nodding and replying, "Well, the tournament will continue, but your team will lose, no ifs, ands or buts. You can choose to stay and watch the show or get going before it's over, your call. But let it be known, I've already chosen new locations for all of you, and with the exception of Gallade and Gardevoir, you're all going to be sent to separate countries."

Machoke's eyes widened as he now realized just how serious this was. If he and the entire team lost, it would be a nightmare trying to see each other again. They would likely get new partners who were nowhere near as pleasant to be around. On the whole, there was no way they could risk failure.


	16. Chapter 16

This was it, the day of The Next Gen Battle. Would this be the last time Machoke and his friends could enjoy living in Tokyo? Who knew?

Many were gathered at a big stadium where B block was scheduled to fight as the female announcer from before exclaimed, "This is Nori Takanawa coming to you live for the first round of The Next Gen Battle, specially B block! I notice many of you have gathered here for the big event and I can't blame you! As awesome as seeing heroes fight the bad guys can be, heroes facing off against their own allies is another!"

At this moment, someone wearing a trench coat entered the area, standing next to the bleachers, but this was no ordinary audience member. This person was actually a red bug with a build similar to that of a Scyther but with plenty of key differences. For instances, her hands were actually big claws similar to those of a crab with yellow circles that resembled eyes on the sides. Her midsection was a lot wider than Scyther's and her wings were half the length but twice the width. And rather than having three claws on each foot, she instead had one claw on the front and one on the heel. But who was this figure and why did she look so similar to Scyther?

Meanwhile, in a small park far from the stadium, a ring had been set up in the centre of the area. Weedle, Machoke, Aipom and Heracross were seated behind a desk right next to the ring as Machoke looked around, noticing an extreme lack of people coming for the event. As if that was not weird enough, most of them seemed more interested in having picnics with their families than watching the match that was about to unfold.

"Geez, what's with the lack of attention?" Machoke asked as Weedle replied, "Well, it's quite simple. See, the fighters in Block B are much more popular, therefore more people want to see them," Machoke glaring at him as Aipom patted him on the shoulder, saying, "There, there, it's not his fault."

Among these audience members were Reika and Cici, Tsuya claiming that she just simply had to watch B block instead. Cici felt happy either way as she always felt safer around Reika. Keiko was there as well.

"So, Reika, why do you want to watch A block so much anyway?" Cici asked, Reika replying, "A block audience is quieter," Keiko smirking and asking, "Are you sure that's your only reason?"

"MOM!" Reika retorted with a look of horror, "What are you suggesting!?" her cheeks bright pink as Keiko pinched her daughter's cheeks, teasingly saying, "Reika's got a crush!"

With that, Weedle tapped on a microphone in front of him a couple of times before exclaiming, "Welcome to the first round of The Next Gen Battle! This is where the A Block fighters will compete! As you already know, I am Weedle, the chairman of Hero Planet, and I will be acting as announcer for this section!" Machoke taking a deep breath and sighing, "He sure is humble, isn't he?" Aipom smacking the boy on the back of the head.

"Without further ado!" Weedle exclaimed, "it's time to introduce the fighters!" Machoke grinning while whispering, "I can't wait for Gardevoir to come out," Aipom sighing, "Let me guess, you chose another entrance for her didn't you?" the boy nodding as the monkey face-palmed with her tail hand.

"In the red corner..." Weedle stated, directing his horn toward one side of the ring and adding, "Coming to us from Egypt and weighing at thirty-three kilograms, representing Team Next Gen, Lopunny!" the rabbit bounding toward the ring before crouching down and leaping high into the air, landing hard against the ring and striking a battle pose, the small crowd clapping as a child pointed at Lopunny saying, "Look, Daddy, a bunny."

"Boy, they sure seem excited," Machoke said sarcastically as Weedle ignored this before shouting, "And in the blue corner, coming to us from France and weighing at forty-eight kilograms, representing Team Jinroku, Gardevoir!" Machoke glaring at the bug and retorting, "HEY, THAT'S JAPANESE FOR DUNCE, YOU JERK!" Aipom holding him back.

Insulting team name or not, Gardevoir did not seem to care as she entered with a black cape wrapped around her body, the audience now fully interested in what they were seeing. Whatever Machoke had planned, it actually looked like this entrance could be taken seriously. That was until the girl removed the cape, everyone staring as she had she had a dancer's outfit on underneath.

With that, the girl struck a sexy pose while obnoxious J-pop played in the background. After her last couple of entrances, she no longer felt awkward doing these, so the girl did not hesitate for a second as she thrust her body a few times. After that, the girl performed a graceful twirl before somersaulting toward the ring and propelling herself off the ground, landing delicately against the mat and pointing her finger at Lopunny like a shotgun shouting, "BANG-BANG!"

When the music stopped, all went silent as Machoke clapped, exclaiming, "YEAH, YOU GO, GIRL!" whistling to her with admiration as Reika gritted her teeth, feeling strangely offended now that she knew he was responsible for this, Cici asking, "Is something wrong?"

Lopunny on the other hand was once again impressed as she clapped her ears and hands together, squealing, "OH MY GOD, WHERE DO YOU GET SUCH WONDERFUL IDEAS!?" Machoke exclaiming, "From yours truly!" the boy standing tall and proud as Lopunny asked, "Can I hire you to plan my next fight entrance!?"

"Hm, working for Lopunny..." Weedle uttered, rubbing the tip of his tail against his chin, "It will give me a reason to let you stay in Tokyo," Machoke now actually considering the offer as he replied, "I'll have to think about it."

However, while Reika still looked beyond annoyed by this, Gardevoir felt so happy as she thought, 'As awkward as these entrances are, they actually help relieve stress. Thank you, Machoke,' the girl shooting him a small smile.

After a while, Reika calmed down as she said, "Wait, she seems a lot less timid now," Keiko nodding and replying, "I guess those entrances Machoke plans for her give her more courage," the girl blinking and saying, "And here I thought he was objectifying women."

All the while in B block, Nori was ready to introduce the fighters as she exclaimed, "In the red corner, coming to us from Germany and weighing fifty-six kilograms, the spirited insect of Team Next Gen, Scyther!" the bug dashing toward the ring before spreading out his wings and leaping high into the air, performing a bit of aerial ballet before landing perfectly against the mat, the crowd going wild.

"And in the blue corner..." Nori stated, "hailing from France and weighing fifty-two kilos, the fast and strong warrior of Team Jinroku, Gallade!"

Gallade took a more humble approach toward the ring only for his calm look to drop when he spat, "JINROKU!?" Nori trembling and uttering, "Please, don't look at me! Mister Weedle thought this one up!" Gallade then noticing Blaziken wearing a T-shirt with the kanji for 'Jinroku' as she sighed, "Sorry, Gallade, but we have to accept this."

The boy let out a sigh before shaking his head and folding his arms, saying, "Oh well, it doesn't matter," the boy making his way over to the ring and entering, quickly recovering from his outburst earlier as the crowd started cheering for him as well, especially Tsuya who got up from her seat squealing, "YEAH, GALLADE, KICK HER BUTT!"

The two stared each other down, holding up fighter stances with serious looks in their eyes. Once Nori rang the bell, Scyther immediately sprinted toward Gallade, tackling him as he spread out his legs, stopping himself from falling back.

Everyone stared in admiration as the boy held his ground, Scyther's eyes going wide when Gallade wrapped his arms around her shoulders, saying, "Hate to break it to you, but I've developed a technique to prevent myself from being knocked down so easily."

Before the insect could respond, Gallade leaned backward, pulling her up over his head before leaning backward, slamming her head hard into the mat. The crowd went wild as he released his hold on her, saying, "Weedle thinks I've been shirking in my duties, but that's not true. Both my sister and I have been working out daily at a gym close to our condominium."

Scyther slowly rose to her feet, acting as if the pain meant nothing before replying, "That is certainly commendable, but my training far exceeds yours," the insect rushing at him again.

However, Gallade once again seemed ready as he dodged to the side, crossing his arms and shouting, "PSYCHO CUT!" rushing at Scyther and attempting to strike her. Scyther held up her arms when the stranger in the crowd barked, "SCYTHER, DON'T!" Scyther turning toward the bug in the trench coat and remembered another method to this, the insect simply leaping high above the ring in time to avoid Gallade's attack.

The boy was caught off-guard as Scyther landed behind him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him high above her head. Everyone thought she was going to use a brainbuster but instead, the insect leapt high above the ring and leaned back, Scyther's head now closer to the canvas as she shouted, "FLYING HAMMER!"

With that, she descended hard toward the mat, slamming Gallade's head hard into it while the crowd went wild for her. Gallade's eyes were wide with shock as just from this one hit, he was already feeling rather weak. Perhaps Scyther had not been joking when she said her training was more effective than his.

However, Gallade would not allow her to win so easily as he shifted his legs downward, latching them to the insect's sides. With that, he placed his hands firmly against the mat and attempted to lift her up only for the bug to shockingly overpower him, forcing her body back into the mat.

Seeing how his efforts were helpless, Gallade simply twisted his body, forcing her to let go of his and rolling away. But before he could do anything else, Scyther came up behind him and delivered a flying roundhouse to the back of his head.

The boy could not believe it. From only two hits, he was already starting to feel weak as Scyther smirked, saying, "You boast about your training, but it is nowhere near the level of mine. I've read about your match with Scrafty and it did not make you sound particularly impressive," Gallade retorting, "What do you mean by that!?"

The insect took a deep breath and remarked, "It's quite simple, really. Losing every now and then is okay, but from what I can gather, you barely put up a fight," Gallade's eyes going wide as she added, "I mean, Blaziken went up against a really strong adversary while under an injury and did a better job than you did," Blaziken gulping, not sure whether or not she could argue with that statement.

"HEY, WHAT WAS THAT!?" Gallade spat, glaring at the chicken, "BACK ME UP HERE!" Blaziken nodding and shouting, "She's trying to psyche you out! Don't listen to her!" Scyther remarking, "Yes, Gallade, don't listen to the truth. Keep living in that fantasy world where you're a champion."

Gallade gritted his teeth and spat, "SHUT UP!" swinging his right blade at her only for the bug to hold her left arm up to block it, everyone staring in shock when an actual blade sprouted from the bottom of her arm, reaching all the way to her armpit and blocking Gallade's attack.

'Dammit, I told her not to use that until it was necessary,' the red insect in the audience thought, gritting her teeth, 'Guess it's too late now,' Gallade staring in absolute shock as Scyther sighed, "Sorry, lehrer, I acted too quickly to think."

"Where did that come from?" Gallade asked, Scyther backing up and saying, "No sense holding back now," the insect rushing at the boy and shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" speeding right past him when suddenly, a cut formed on his midsection, expanding into a big gash as he cried out in pain.

All went silent as Gallade fell to his knees before falling forward, landing hard on his face. After a few seconds, Nori rang the bell and exclaimed, "AND THE FIRST MATCH OF THE NEXT GEN BATTLE GOES TO SCYTHER!" the crowd then breaking out into heavy cheers as Scyther stared at the red bug, Nori adding, "That attack, the Arm Schwert, has not been seen in a long time, but I do remember that being a finishing move used by the mighty Scizor back in the day."

Blaziken stared at the red insect while news reporters ran up to her asking questions such as "Where have you been all this time, Miss Scizor?" and "What is your connection to Scyther?" The insect simply ignored the press and exited the area. One thing was for certain, though. These new fighters could not be taken lightly.

When Scyther exited the area, Blaziken ran into the ring, helping Gallade up when a group of medics came in, the chicken laying him down on the bed. Gallade was just conscious enough to let down tears, Blaziken sighing, "Don't be so hard on yourself. We didn't mean what we said the other day. You are a good fighter."

A light smile formed on his face as he uttered, "Beat Golurk, please," the boy being carried out of the stadium as Blaziken took a deep breath, nodding her head with a serious look on her face.

During this time, Gardevoir was unaware of her brother's loss as she and Lopunny were literally locked in combat, both having a contest of strength as Gardevoir was using her hands to force Lopunny's ears away from her. Strangely enough, she was actually putting up a descent struggle this time.

"I will not longer allow myself to be overpowered!" Gardevoir squeaked with a serious look in her eyes, "Mister Weedle assumes I haven't been taking my job seriously, but I've been working out with my brother everyday!" Weedle asking, "Is this true?" Machoke nodding and replying, "Yeah, you should probably rethink your judgement," the caterpillar remarking, "We shall see about that."

However, while Gardevoir's arm strength had certainly improved overtime, Lopunny's ears were big and strong and as such, Gardevoir soon found herself being forced back. But just as she was about to succumb, the girl remembered a countermeasure that Gallade had taught her, releasing her hold on Lopunny's ears and allowing them to get just close enough for her to wrap her arms around them.

All went silent as Lopunny gasped in shock, rather impressed by this strategy. Gardevoir smiled lightly and thought, 'I'm going to win without having to use my power,' the girl tugging on the ears as Lopunny cried out in pain. Unfortunately, this was not the girl's intention.

Her strategy was to pull hard enough for Lopunny to fly toward her so she could land a headbutt on the rabbit, but unfortunately, her strength was still not enough for that to work. As such, Lopunny grinned and said, "Nice try, but it's not good enough," the rabbit bending backward and lifting Gardevoir up off the ground. With the girl still clinging to her ears, Lopunny proceeded to swing them around as Machoke spat, "GARDEVOIR, LET GO!"

Unfortunately, this proved to be a bad idea as when Gardevoir did release her hold, she ended up flying into the turnbuckle, the girl squeaking in pain. However, she knew that she had to be strong, so she slowly recovered from the hit and took a deep breath, pretending not to feel pain from it.

"I'm impressed," Lopunny said with a friendly smile, "Most opponents would take in extreme pain from that," Gardevoir taking a deep breath and replying, "Well, I'm not your ordinary opponent."

"Yeah, now show her what you got!" Machoke exclaimed, Reika raising her fist and shouting, "YEAH, SOCK IT TO HER!"

With that in mind, Gardevoir raced toward the rabbit only for Lopunny to send her ears forward like fists again. This time, though, Gardevoir gracefully dodge to the side and got next to the rabbit, sending a palm punch to her cheek. Unlike before when she tried that same move on Nidoqueen, this actually seemed to deal pain. One could have made the argument that this was because Lopunny's body was much weaker if the attack had not had such a huge impact, the rabbit actually being forced to the side from the force of the attack.

Gardevoir smiled and squealed, "I ACTUALLY DID DAMAGE!" Machoke exclaiming, "THAT'S GREAT, BUT DON'T STOP!" the girl nodding and proceeded to deliver a series of powerful slaps before Lopunny could recover, those initially uninterested in the match now getting really involved as they cheered wildly for the girl.

Gardevoir was filling up with pride now. Up until now, she had never been able to cause pain in her normal state and now not only was she causing damage, she was causing some real damage. It seemed her training was really paying off and she was feeling a great thrill from it.

However, Lopunny was not going to let her team down no matter how much she admired Gardevoir. As such, the rabbit held up her arms to block the incoming slaps while sending her ears out until they were behind Gardevoir's back. Seeing this, Machoke gasped and spat, "GARDEVOIR, BEHIND YOU!"

Unfortunately, the girl was unable to react in time as the ears bent toward Lopunny, holding her tight like a pair of arms. With that, Lopunny proceeded to bounce high above the ring, wrapping her normal arms around the girl flipping her over for a Tombstone, sending Gardevoir's head hard into the canvas.

Cici winced at the sight of this as Gardevoir was just about to cough up blood. But not wanting to show any signs of weakness, the girl held her mouth closed to contain the blood so when Lopunny released her and her body collapsed, the girl gulped it back down. It was a strange feeling but Gardevoir was not going to let that get her down.

"My god, you are so hardcore!" Lopunny squealed with a big grin, "I've gotta try extra hard to beat you!" Machoke blinking and uttering, "I don't like the sound of that."

"What do you mean?" Aipom asked as Machoke sighed, "Gardevoir clearly took in more pain from that than she's letting on," the monkey blinking and saying, "Oh my god, you noticed it too," Heracross nodding and saying, "Yeah, Lopunny's really strong. Gardevoir's done a descent job so far, but I worry about her health when this is all over."

Now Machoke was really confused about what kind of being Heracross was. Was he being friendly and sympathetic or was this his way of making fun of Gardevoir? Either way, Machoke would still have to fight him anyway, so that hardly mattered.

Lopunny proceeded to send her arms forward like fists once again, Gardevoir gracefully dodging each strike. Sure, her strength was nothing to be proud of at first, but she had always been good at avoiding attacks. Unfortunately, this would not last as Lopunny eventually noticed a pattern with her movements and sent a hard punch to her chest just above the spike.

Gardevoir backed up, clutching onto the spot and once again trying to ignore the pain. Unfortunately, she was having trouble now as she was really starting to feel it. Machoke could feel it just from the look of it as he winced.

She had to win, not just for the sake of having her training mean something but so she could remain with her friends. Whether or not she remained in Tokyo hardly mattered to her. It was the thought of being separated from Machoke, Blaziken, Aipom and even Reika and her friends that terrified her the most.

As such, she took a deep breath and rushed toward the rabbit, Lopunny once again sending her ears forward. However, Gardevoir managed to come up with a new strategy as she leapt over one of the ears, Lopunny's eyes wide with shock as the crowd went wild, Aipom grinning and shouting, "THAT IS SO COOL!" Machoke staring at the monkey who simply cleared her throat, saying, "Um, I mean good job, Gardevoir."

What really impressed the crowd was not the fact that Gardevoir had jumped over the attack but rather that she had successfully landed on top of Lopunny's ear, taking full advantage of this as she leapt off of it, planting her foot hard into the rabbit's forehead, causing her to fall on her back.

Reika grinned and spat, "THAT WAS AWESOME!" everyone else continuing to cheer and applaud the girl. However, while Weedle looked a tad distressed by this, Heracross looked perfectly calm. Either he was a really good sport or he knew something the others did not as he still had a look of confidence as if nothing had just happened to his team mate.

Gardevoir looked ready to strike against as she leapt into the air, aiming her foot toward the rabbit's belly. However, Lopunny made a quick recovery as she moved her ears in front of her torso. This was more than enough to block Gardevoir's attack as she squeaked, quickly leaping away from the rabbit in fear of something else happening.

"I have to admit, that really caught me by surprise," Lopunny said with a smile, "You've been such an amazing opponent, but I have no intention of letting you win!" Gardevoir nodding and trying to remain calm.

After all, it seemed everyone one of Lopunny's attacks involved her using her ears in some way, just like Diggersby, the opponent Gallade had fought to be allowed on Earth. At the very least, Gardevoir knew what to expect from her, and that gave her an idea.

Gardevoir proceeded to rush toward the rabbit, Lopunny simply sending her ears out like fists once again only this time Gardevoir lowered her body, now sliding toward the rabbit's feet with one foot pointed toward them. However, the rabbit easily saw this coming as she sprang off the mat, Gardevoir's eyes going wide. She could not believe that she had forgotten rabbits could jump high.

With that, Lopunny descended toward Gardevoir's head shouting, "BUNNY BOUNCE!" landing hard on her face and bouncing off, landing on the opposite side of the ring. All went silent as Gardevoir could no longer hide her pain, her body twitching as her face was bleeding a bit.

Machoke stared in horror asking, "Are you okay, Gardevoir?" Heracross saying, "Good job, Lopunny."

The rabbit simply bounced back and forth on the spot asking, "Did you think my ears were my only weapon? I'm a rabbit! Of course I'm gonna use my feet every now and then," Weedle taking a deep breath, sighing, "I'll give the girl some credit, she's gotten better, but she's still weak."

Machoke fumed at the caterpillar when suddenly, a voice came from the crowd shouting, "HEY, CAN IT, OLD MAN!" Machoke slowly turning to notice one of the picnickers had said this, another getting up and barking, "Gardevoir's not weak! We've seen her in action! She's really strong when it counts!" Cici getting up and squeaking, "That's right! Even though she's not always confident in herself, she still tries her hardest! She keeps fighting even when things look their worst! I could feel that from the moment I saw her face Scrafty!"

Reika nodded and smiled at her friend, saying, "Well, put," the girl then turning to the ring and pumping her fist up and down shouting, "Gardevoir! Gardevoir!" Cici and Keiko nodding before doing the same, chanting Gardevoir's name repeatedly.

Soon enough, everyone in the audience including the children were doing the same. They thought this whole tournament was ludicrous and certainly did not want Gardevoir to leave because of some rule. And needless to say, Machoke and Aipom wasted no time joining in, Weedle all the while feeling a bit of guilt in his heart.

Heracross noticed this and said, "Don't be hard on yourself, sir. You only did what you felt was right," Weedle nodding and replying, "Oh, yes, that's certainly correct," the bug taking a deep breath and thinking, 'I almost let a group of strangers make me question my life.'

Despite there not being a large crowd here at the moment, Gardevoir could certainly hear their words as she flipped her hands over, placing them firmly against the mat. Lopunny stared in wonder, simply amazed that the girl could get up after all that as she slowly rose back to her feet, taking many deep breaths. And to make things even better, a violet aura was surrounding her hands.

Gardevoir noticed this and bit her lower lip, shockingly disappointed to see her hands glowing. But it made sense. After all, she was trying to avoid relying on it.

Aipom noticed this and sighed, "Oh no, she's not happy at all," Machoke getting up and shouting, "Hey, Gardevoir!" the girl turning to face him as he added, "Don't let this discourage you! That power is helpful! If anything, you should be proud of yourself for going this long without needing it!" the audience cheering as Reika exclaimed, "He's right! Feel glad you made it this far and take advantage of that power!" the girl then smiling at Machoke, rather glad that he was the first one to point this out.

It seemed to work as Gardevoir's confidence quickly returned, the girl nodding with a serious smile on her face. This power was not something to be feared. It was a force that helped her in her time of need and right now, she definitely needed it.


	17. Chapter 17

With Gardevoir's power now activated, the girl had been rather disappointed that she had to rely on it at first. However, her desire to win allowed her to at least embrace the fact that it had come when it did. Sure, the girl had nothing against Lopunny. If anything, the rabbit was the friendliest and most civil opponent she had faced. Even so, she did not wish to lose her friends and if losing the tournament meant that, she could not risk failure.

"That's a pretty colour," Lopunny said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the violet glow, Heracross calling out in a calm tone, "Hey, Lopunny, focus on the match!" the rabbit blinking and replying, "Oh, yeah, sorry about that," nervous sweat running down her cheek.

With that, the rabbit once again sent her ears toward Gardevoir like a fist, only this time the girl was ready. She allowed the ears to get close to her before wrapping her arms around them, holding them in place as Lopunny blinked. However, a smile formed on her face as she said, "Nice try, but this failed last time," Gardevoir sighing, "It's not going to fail this time, though, and I can guarantee that."

With that, the girl pulled tightly on the ears, Lopunny's eyes widening when the girl actually managed to lift her up this time. After that, Gardevoir proceeded to lean backwards, flinging Lopunny over her head as the rabbit's head hit the mat hard.

The crowd went wild as Reika said, "It's so cool seeing that up close," Cici nodding and squeaking, "Gardevoir's so cool!"

Neither Lopunny nor Heracross could believe what had just happened. Sure, they had heard of her stunning victory of Scrafty, how she had displayed a shocking amount of strength, but they did not know she had this power hidden within her. Clearly Lopunny would need to be more careful.

The rabbit groaned, trying to get up as Gardevoir rushed toward her, leaping into the air with her arm out and shouting, "MOON-" only for Lopunny to block the incoming hook, Gardevoir's eyes widening. Machoke and Aipom both stared in absolute horror as not only had the attack been blocked, but Lopunny had actually managed to stand her ground.

At the very least, with Gardevoir's power adding to the force of her Moon Hook, the rabbit should have still been knocked on her back, and yet her ears managed to keep her safe as all the attack had managed to accomplish was pushing her back a little bit. However, Gardevoir was not going to let this discourage her as she landed, sending an onslaught of slaps toward the rabbit, Lopunny blocking them all with her ears.

Luckily, it did seem as if Gardevoir's slaps were doing something as light bruises formed on the ears, Lopunny wincing in pain as she realized she could need to take action. With that in mind, she leapt back just far enough to stand on her ears and propel her feet up, sending them hard into Gardevoir's gut.

The girl's eyes were wide with shock, Machoke's jaw dropped as neither could believe what had just happened. Not only had Gardevoir taken in a hit, but despite her power being activated, it still dealt a considerable amount of pain as the girl coughed up a bit of blood.

"I'll admit, that power of yours is scary, but I told you, I simply can't let my team down!" Lopunny stated before doing doing something weird, actually tucking her ears in until only the fist-shaped tufts of fur were still sticking out.

Gardevoir threw out her hands to defend herself, fearing the worst when Lopunny barked, "DIZZY PUNCH!" sending one ear forward, that one running into Gardevoir's hands, the girl easily blocking this. But before she could do anything else, Lopunny shouted, "DIZZY PUNCH!" a second time, this time sending the other ear into Gardevoir's face.

Not only had this done quite a bit of damage, but now Gardevoir's eyes were spinning, Machoke asking, "What's going on?" Heracross explaining, "The answer is made obvious by the attack's name, but I'll explain it anyway. See, when Dizzy Punch hits an opponent in the face, it messes with his or her field of vision thus resulting in the opponent becoming dizzy," Machoke and Aipom blinking before sighing, "He was right, that was obvious."

Cici was now trembling as Reika asked, "Do you think Gardevoir will make it out okay?" Keiko looking concerned as she replied, "It's hard to tell, honey. We'll just keep supporting her and hope for the best."

Unfortunately, Dizzy Punch seemed to have a greater effect than anyone would have guessed as Gardevoir was far too dizzy to focus, giving Lopunny ample time to send a barrage of punches into her face, drawing more blood with each hit. Seeing this, Machoke got up and spat, "GARDEVOIR, TRY USING YOUR OTHER SENSES!"

Thankfully, dizziness did not have an effect on hearing, so Gardevoir heard this, closing her eyes and hearing the swishing of Lopunny's ears coming her way. With that, the girl held up her arms, blocking one of the fists. Unfortunately, this was not good enough as once again, both her hands were focused on one ear while the other made a connection with her face.

And this last hit was just enough for Gardevoir to lose her balance, the girl falling on her rear end and breathing heavily, her eyesight finally returning to normal. Unfortunately, it was too late now as Lopunny wrapped her ears around the girl saying, "You were a great opponent, Gardevoir, but this match is mine."

The crowd watched in amazement, Machoke shouting, "COME ON, GARDEVOIR, FIGHT BACK!" Reika shouting, "YEAH, YOU STILL GOT YOUR POWER, RIGHT!?"

Unfortunately, even with the power, Gardevoir was far too battered and bruised to fight back as Lopunny bounced high above the ring, using her ears to turn Gardevoir upside-down. After that, the rabbit flipped herself over so her head was facing the mat as well, wrapping her ears around Gardevoir's ankles and spinning her body around shouting, "BUNNY TORNADO!" both heroes crashing down into the canvas.

The force of the attack had caused a bit of the mat to sink inward as Lopunny released her hold on Gardevoir's ankles, taking a deep breath and wiping sweat off of her forehead. The attack was powerful, but it did take a lot out of her.

Even so, there was no doubt the move had done its job as the violet aura disappeared, Gardevoir's body collapsing as she was out cold, her eyes rolled to the back of her skull. All went silent as no one could believe it. Even with her power, Gardevoir had lost.

With that, Weedle rang the bell exclaiming, "And the first A block match of The Next Gen Battle goes to Lopunny!" the girl raising her arms in the air squealing, "YAY, I WON!" hopping up and down as Machoke gritted his teeth, a look of sheer terror on his face. However, he then took a deep breath and said, "Well, she may have won, but there's no way the audience is happy about this, right?"

However, many of the people watching looked not with horror but with admiration and respect. One of them smiled and said, "You know, that was really cool," another adding, "Yeah, I mean, Gardevoir had her power activated and she still lost," a child in the crowd squealing, "YAY, THE BUNNY WON!"

With that, the majority of the crowd broke out into heavy applause and cheering, seeming to welcome Lopunny as Gardevoir's replacement even though that had not been made official yet. The only members of the crowd not cheering were Reika, Cici and Keiko, all three of them running into the ring to carry Gardevoir over to the medics who had just arrived.

"You-you saw that, right?" Machoke uttered, turning to Aipom and barking, "YOU JUST SAW THAT, RIGHT!? I DIDN'T JUST IMAGINE THAT, DID I!?" Aipom biting her lower lip and nodding her head, sighing, "That really did just happen."

"Oh well, it's fine," Machoke said, taking many deep breaths before adding, "I'm pretty sure Gallade at least won his match. I know we badmouthed him the other day, but that was just a joke."

At that moment, a small red light had turned on in front of Weedle's desk with a time in electronic text underneath it, the caterpillar saying, "Seems the match in B block ended long before this one," Machoke asking, "How do you know that?" the worm replying, "See, Nori and I have this device that activates when both matches have ended and specifies how long each one went for. That way we know when to start setting up for the second matches."

With that, Weedle stood up and exclaimed to the audience, "It seems that both of the first matches have ended! Let us see what the results of B block were," the worm having a big screen TV hanging overhead with a helicopter holding it up as it turned on, showing the replay of Gallade's loss, Machoke's eyes wide, his jaw dropped as he trembled in fear.

Blaziken had also seen the results of Gardevoir's match and uttered, "No... this can't be happening," Nori stating, "And as you can see, Team Next Gen already has two participants advancing while Team Jinroku has none!"

Back in the park, Machoke stared blankly at Heracross as the beetle flashed the boy a friendly smile, saying, "I look forward to our match," Machoke not sure whether to panic or not. On one hand, Heracross did seem friendly, but on the other hand, he seemed too friendly. And Lopunny was clearly a good sport yet that certainly did not stop her from going out of her way to make sure she had won. Sure, these were fights between heroes, but no one was holding back.

At that moment, Weedle and Nori both explained that there would be a two-hour wait between matches. This gave everyone a chance to do something else for at least the next little while. Aipom expected Machoke to head for the hills, but he did not. Instead, he walked away from his seat with a serious look in his eyes, telling the monkey he was off to train. Needless to say, Aipom was happy to see him taking this seriously.

All the while, Blaziken was about to do the same thing when she noticed Golurk folding his arms and staring at her, both glaring into each-other's eyes. There was no way Blaziken would let this golem win. After all, she had already defeated an opponent made of stone, and Golurk was nowhere near as big as he was.

When Machoke entered the training facility, he immediately started on weight-lifting. Ever since his pathetic failure on Hero Planet, he had gotten a lot better at this and right now, he needed all the strength and skill he could muster. Sure, Heracross may have seemed like a nice guy, but he also looked really tough and was probably stronger than the appearance suggested.

Blaziken was also getting in all sorts of training, only rather than focusing on her strength, she was practising her skills and techniques on various dummies and punching bags. There was no way Golurk would get the better of her.

But while Machoke and Blaziken prepared themselves for their matches, Heracross and Golurk seemed a little too confident in their abilities. Heracross had stopped to buy himself a lunch before his match and that was all he had intended to do during his two hours. After that, he simply walked around with no real aim in mind.

Golurk on the other hand was doing the least amount of prep work as he was just taking a nap. No meal or anything, just sleeping. Was this arrogance or was he really just too good for training? Either way, this certainly seemed like good news for Machoke and Blaziken.

After an hour of training, Blaziken called up Machoke, the boy responding and saying, "Hello," the chicken replying, "Hey, I bet you saw the results of Gallade's match, right?"

"Yeah," the boy replied, "That looked really brutal, like something a villain would have done," Blaziken replying, "Yeah, but it makes one thing perfectly clear: these guys are really serious about this. Gardevoir's beating didn't look too pleasant either."

"Anyway, I've been training pretty hard for this," Machoke stated, Blaziken replying, "Good, so have I. I'm gonna make sure Golurk doesn't know what hit him."

With that, the two heroes talked a little bit more, mostly about how they were going to prepare for their matches. After a while, the two hung up as Machoke immediately started prep work on his entrance, but what he was planning was anyone's guess.

After the break, things were actually a bit different. Now bleachers had been set up in the small park as more people had shown up. After Gardevoir and Lopunny's match, it seemed those who saw it first called up some of their friends to tell them how much more amazing it was than how they described the one between Gallade and Scyther because now the seats were filled.

Of course, this did not mean Blaziken and Golurk would be ignore. After all, Blaziken was a huge fan favourite after her win over Onix and there was no way her fans were going to miss this match. Sure, people were starting to like these new heroes more, but Blaziken's fans would not give up on her so easily.

In B block, Nori took a deep breath and exclaimed into the mic, "Welcome, one and all, but the second match of The Next Gen Battle in B block! The stakes are high for Team Jinroku as they have already lost two members of their team!"

The woman proceeded to point to the Western side of the area shouting, "In the red corner, weighing at three-hundred-and-thirty kilograms and coming to us from Rome, the golem with a warrior's spirit, Golurk!" some people cheering when the golem walked toward the ring. He did nothing special or complicated, he just let his appearance to the work.

After entering the ring, he flexed his arms and exclaimed, "I'M GONNA CLEAN BLAZIKEN'S CLOCK!" the crowd truly impressed by his confidence.

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, pointing to the Eastern side, "weighing at fifty-two kilograms and coming to us from Texas, now calling herself the Texas Condor, the fiery phoenix in a chicken's body, Blaziken!" the crowd going wild when Blaziken ran toward the ring wearing a cowgirl outfit and hat.

However, what really caught everyone's attention was the fact that she had a French flag tied to each arm, Nori saying, "It would seem that Blaziken is paying tribute to her fallen comrades. This has gotten quite a positive reaction from the crowd and it's easy to see why. She's really gonna give it her all for them, folks."

With that, Blaziken leapt into the ring, removing her clothes and allowing the flags to blow away in the breeze, the chicken giving the golem a cold look before grunting, "Excuse me, YOU'RE gonna clean my clock!? I don't think so, buddy!" the crowd even more excited now after seeing just how confident the bird was.

However, while certainly focused on the fight, Blaziken was also thinking, 'I hope you guys were awake to see that. I meant for that to lift your spirits and hopefully help you recover faster.'

With that, both fighters stared each other down until the bell was rung, Blaziken immediately sprinting toward Golurk without a moment's hesitation. Golurk waited for her to get close before sending his fist toward her only for the bird to dodge to the side. After that, she took hold of the nearest turnbuckle and spun her body around, kicking the golem in the back of the head.

Golurk's eyes widened as he actually seemed to feel pain from that, the crowd cheering wildly. Blaziken added to the damage by grabbing onto the ropes and sending both her feet into his back, propelling herself off of it to make distance while thinking, 'I'm going to make sure we stay in Tokyo no matter what. Don't you worry, guys, I'll make up for your losses even if I have to do it myself.'

All the while, in the park, everyone was anticipating the entrances of the fighters as Reika sighed, "Machoke is good, but after seeing Gardevoir's match, I'm scared," Keiko replying, "It'll be fine, honey. The Mach family has a knack for getting out of these things okay."

Cici all the while was trembling, still thinking about Gardevoir's loss while Tsuya, now having switched over to this ring, really hoped Machoke would win. After what Scyther had done to Gallade, she felt like she had to support the others at all cost.

Aipom stood by the ring to give Machoke advice when he needed it, the monkey trying to stay strong. After all, it would be unprofessional for her to even think about the possibility that her own student might fail.

Weedle took a deep breath, tapping the microphone with his horn before exclaiming, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second match of The Next Gen Battle, A block division! It's nice to see a bigger turnout this time, especially since most people didn't even seem interested at first!" the caterpillar thinking, 'Course I don't know why more people would want to watch Machoke than Gardevoir, but I guess that's not too important.'

The bug then proceeded to point his horn toward the Western side shouting, "In the red corner, weighing at fifty-four kilograms and coming to us from Scotland, a beetle with Herculean strength, Heracross!" the audience clapping for the bug as he approached the ring wearing a kilt, Lopunny squealing, "YOU LOOK SO GOOD IN A KILT, HERACROSS!"

The bug smiled sweetly at her before thinking, 'You haven't seen anything yet,' the bug then leaping up off the ground and tucking his arms and legs in, spinning vertically like a bouncing ball toward the ring and landing firmly against the canvas, striking a pose before flexing his muscles, the crowd's cheers getting louder.

With that, Heracross removed his kilt and threw it toward a teenaged girl in the crowd, the girl catching it and smiling wide, squealing, "I GOT HERACROSS' KILT!" her friends staring with envy.

'He's a bit of a showman too, but at least he's more humble than that idiot and his family,' Weedle thought before clearing his throat and announcing, "And in the blue corner, a boy so out-of-this-world that he doesn't even need an introduction, Machoke!" the crowd going silent when the boy walked toward the ring.

Under his nostrils was a fake, swirly moustache, the boy wearing those striped shirts that gondoliers wore in France. He also had the pants on and to top it all off, the boy sported a beret atop his head while holding a huge baguette in his hands.

Even Aipom could not help but face-palm at the sight of this, Reika muttering, "If anyone asks, I don't know him," Cici and Tsuya nodding in agreement while Machoke grinned, thinking, 'Blaziken most likely got a very positive reaction from her tribute to Gallade and Gardevoir, but her tactic was way too simple. By dressing myself up in clothes really representing their country, people are likely to be blown away. They'll say 'Wow, that Machoke really cares about his friends!' and 'What a beautiful sight!' I am a genius.'

However, his suspicions were proven false when the crowd broke out into hysterics, one member shouting, "OH MY GOD, YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS!" another shouting, "GET OFF THE STAGE, YOU CLOWN!" Weedle banging his head against his desk and groaning, "This is embarrassing."

"You think this is funny!?" Machoke remarked, "Well, feast your eyes on this!" the boy lifting up his baguette and twirling it like a baton only for it to slip and hit him on the head.

Heracross laughed and clapped, saying, "I certainly can't top that," Machoke feeling like the beetle was mocking him but chose to ignore this as he marched toward the ring, taking a deep breath. After that, he proceeded to pull off his French clothes before tossing them toward the crowd just like Heracross had. Unfortunately, the only one in the audience who wanted the clothes was a homeless guy who had snuck in.

Even so, Machoke knew he had to calm himself down and let this go. After all, he was still determined to win at all cost. And at the very least, Heracross did seem like the type to give him the first hit.

On that note, Weedle held up a small mallet with his tail and rang the bell, Heracross immediately racing toward Machoke with his elbow pointed out and shouting, "Sorry, boy, but I don't believe in giving my opponent the first hit!" the boy panicking as Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, THIS IS REALLY EASY TO DODGE!"

Machoke nodded and stepped to the side, Heracross blinking in shock as the boy proceeded to deliver a fierce kick to his back. Before the beetle could even respond, Machoke reached his arms around him and lifted him up, leaning back and setting him up for a Suplex.

"Yeah, way to go, Machoke!" Aipom exclaimed, the crowd cheering for the boy while Reika said, "Well, that entrance may have been stupid, but at least he's on his A game right now," Machoke shouting, "THIS IS FOR MY FRIENDS!"

However, just as Heracross' head was about to collide with the canvas, the beetle smirked and leaned his head back. As a result, his horn ended up hitting the mat instead, Machoke's eyes wide with shock as the beetle said, "Not bad, Machoke, but you'll have to do better than that."

With that, the beetle proceeded to remove his horn from the mat and applying all of his weight to Machoke's body. The boy was unable to hold him up as he fell hard on his back, the beetle then righting himself up into a sitting position. However, it did not end there as the beetle proceeded to stand up, placing his feet next to Machoke and flipping the boy onto his back, sitting back down and grabbing hold of his ankles.

As the beetle started pulling them upward, the crowd went wild for him as Aipom shrieked in terror, Machoke crying out in pain. To make matters worse, Heracross had folded his knees as far as they could go thus setting up the boy for a Boston Crab. Only a minute in and Machoke had already fallen into one of the most difficult submission holds to escape from. Was there any way he could get out of this?


	18. Chapter 18

This was looking bad. The match had only just started and Machoke was already on the receiving end of one of the most powerful submission holds in the history of wrestling. How could he possibly get out of this?

Machoke groaned, looking at Aipom with desperation as the monkey groaned, "Sorry, but even I don't know how to get out of this," Reika biting her lower lip and uttering, "It can't be over yet, can it?" the crowd cheering wildly for Heracross.

Gallade and Gardevoir were currently awake, both of them watching the channel showcasing this particular match. Both had looks of terror in their eyes but knew they could do nothing for their friend right now.

Heracross tightened his hold, Machoke crying even louder as the beetle said, "I got not hard feelings against you, Machoke, and I'd hate to end this so early, but like Lopunny, I cannae let my team down."

However, Aipom noticed something off about Heracross. While the crowd cheered for him, he seemed to have this odd look on his face almost like he was not completely focused on the match right now. Perhaps he was the type to soak up praise like a sponge, but this might just have been the break Machoke needed.

With that in mind, Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, HE'S DISTRACTED! USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!" Machoke nodding as it suddenly dawned on him that Heracross' grip had indeed gotten weaker. With that in mind, the boy threw his legs back thus flinging Heracross toward the ropes, his horn going right between the top and middle ropes.

The crowd could not believe this miracle as now the horn was caught between the ropes, Heracross saying, "Don't worry, I can get out of this," slowly working on the ropes to make sure he could get out. However, there was no way Machoke was going to let this chance go as he rushed toward the beetle, leaping into the air and sending both feet into his back.

Reika breathed a sigh of relief as Keiko asked, "Wow, you were really concerned, weren't you?" Reika blushing and remarking, "Well, of course! He was in danger!"

Heracross ignored the pain to his back and finally managed to pry his horn out only for Machoke to wrap his arms around him, lifting him up and leaning backwards. Heracross laughed and said, "You are funny, Machoke! You already know what's gonna happen!" Machoke smirking and remarking, "Yeah, I do."

And it seemed that the boy did have something else in mind as right after the beetle stopped the Suplex with his horn, Machoke propelled himself up into the air and pushed Heracross even further. The beetle's eyes widened as he soon found his face making a connection with the canvas followed by the rest of his body, the crowd gasping in shock.

"You like that?" Machoke asked with a smirk, "I call it the Reverse of the Reverse Suplex!" all going silent as Aipom sighed, "The move is impressive enough. You don't need to attach a lame title to it."

Even so, the monkey could not have been happier, not only because he had pulled off such a great counter but because no one had ever taught him such a tactic. Machoke may not have been a super genius, but he certainly knew how to learn from his experiences.

However, Heracross was not going to let this discourage him as he rose to his feet, a friendly smile on his face much to everyone's surprise. Machoke was rather creeped out by this until the beetle laughed, saying, "Wow, that was amazing! First you escape from a Boston Crab, then you pull off a move no one's ever used! Colour me impressed!"

Even Lopunny was giving Machoke a standing ovation, whistling in admiration as Machoke blushed a bit, laughing and saying, "Well, I guess it was pretty amazing, wasn't it?"

"Wow, they're really good sports," Cici uttered as Reika nodded, replying, "At first I thought at least Heracross was faking it, but he's really taking this well."

With that, the beetle took a deep breath and got into a defensive stance saying, "Anyway, I guess we may as well return to our match," Machoke nodding and getting into his own stance.

After a few seconds, Heracross rushed at Machoke, once again not being the kind to wait as Machoke easily dodged this. However, the beetle was prepared this time as he swung his sword to the side, hitting, the boy hard in the cheek. All went silent as the hit seemed to cause a great deal of pain, Machoke actually falling on his side and tumbling a bit before coming to a stop.

The boy quickly rose to his feet, rubbing his chin and groaning, "Damn, that hurt," Heracross charging at him again only for the boy to once again dodge to the side. And once again, Heracross sent his horn toward Machoke's cheek, only this time the boy saw it coming as he held up his hand to block it.

However, Heracross simply smirked, knowing the boy would do this as he applied twice as much force to his swing, so when it did run into Machoke's palm it kept going, slamming Machoke's hand into his cheek. As if that was not enough, this dealt more than enough damage to have the exact same effect as before, Machoke using his hand to push himself back up before the tumbling could come to a stop.

'Damn, I knew that horn would be strong, but that was insane,' Machoke thought as Heracross chuckled, asking, "Impressed? My horn has always been my strongest part since I was born, but I've been working on it to make it an even mightier weapon against my foes."

"Wait, you mean you actually made it stronger than it first was?" Machoke asked, Heracross nodding and replying, "That's what I said," Aipom asking, "If you don't mind me asking, how did you pull that off? I didn't think it was possible to just focus on the horn without strengthening the rest of the body as well."

"Yep, it wasn't too hard, though," the beetle replied with a grin, "I just lifted a lot of rocks with it," Reika saying, "I didn't think it worked that way," Tsuya shrugging and replying, "Well, he's not an earth rhino beetle."

One thing was for certain. Machoke would need to be much more careful now. He had only taken in two hits from that horn and was feeling a lot of pain in his cheek. With that in mind, he raced toward the beetle, Heracross readying himself for this.

However, Machoke now had a plan as he pointed his head out, everyone staring in confusion as Reika asked, "What is he doing?" Tsuya shrugging and replying, "Whatever it is, it looks rash."

As soon as the boy was close enough, Heracross sent his horn down as Machoke took the blow to his skull, his eyes going wide as he fell on his chin, Aipom barking, "WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO DO!?" Machoke groaning, "I figured maybe the ridges on his head would protect me from his horn," Aipom retorting, "SINCE WHEN HAVE THEY EVER PROTECTED YOUR HEAD!?"

Unfortunately, Machoke had left himself vulnerable as Heracross knelt down, placing a firm grip on him and lifting him up saying, "Not a bad idea, but you underestimate the power of my horn," Heracross proceeding to lift the boy over his head, flipping over to his head was facing the mat. With that, he ended his move by slamming the top of Machoke's back hard in the canvas, Machoke's eyes wide.

The beetle then let him go and allowed his body to fall as the crowd cheered heavily for Heracross, Machoke's friends staring at this in absolute horror. However, it did not end there as the beetle proceeded to tuck his horn under Machoke like a shovel picking up snow.

After that, he the beetle smirked and shouted, "HORN SHOVEL!" flinging the boy high into the air like a catapult. After that, he leaped up high into the air, getting above Machoke as his horn glowed, the beetle barking, "MEGAHORN!" before sending his horn hard into the boy's gut, Machoke coughing up blood now as he fell hard into the mat.

Many cheered for Heracross as he smiled wide, exclaiming, "I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I think it's clear who's more fit to be protecting the beautiful people of this fine city!" Lopunny hopping in her seat and clapping happily, Weedle nodding and replying, "My thoughts exactly."

The crowd also seemed to be in full agreement as one person stated, "Machoke's done quite a bit, but he's also kind of an embarrassment, wouldn't you say?" another replying, "Yeah, I've seen him chase girls and hang out with friends more than actually help us."

"LET'S WELCOME HERACROSS TO TOKYO, EVERYONE!" a girl in the crowd exclaimed as everyone started to chant the beetle's name, Heracross blushing and chuckling before replying, "Oh, you're all just being nice."

But of course, Machoke's friends were not to happy to see this. The boy seemed to be out cold now, his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he lay there completely still, not a part of him so much as twitching.

"I can't believe it," Reika uttered, Keiko biting her lip and feeling nervous now as Aipom whimpered, "I've been him survive punishment beyond even my wildest dreams, and yet Heracross has managed to defeat him with only a few moves."

Weedle was just about ready to reach the bell when he noticed his mallet had gone missing. It was then he noticed he'd dropped it on the ground, the bug leaping out of his seat to pick it up.

While this went on, Heracross laughed and said to himself, "This is the greatest day of my life. Sure, I'll have to protect a bunch of people who should be able to protect themselves, but I've just defeated the former champion's son. This and so many other exploits are guaranteed to make me rich and famous," the beetle talking in a quiet voice in the hopes that no one would hear him.

Weedle got back into his seat when suddenly, he noticed Machoke's body start to twitch. Aipom noticed this too but said nothing, the monkey instead turning to Reika and the others, holding her tail finger up to her mouth and shushing them before they noticed what she meant.

Heracross proceeded to say in his quiet tone, "Yes, I'll have commercial offers, magazine articles dedicated to me, merchandise beyond my wildest dreams. They say the super hero business is free, but when I'm famous, I'll be able to make millions off of royalties alone, and because I'm such a nice guy, they'll be happy to pay me whatever I want. Heck, I may even charge people for my services alone."

The beetle then blinked and asked, "Not to be rude, Mister Weedle sir, but why haven't you rung the bell yet?" the caterpillar sighing, "As much as I'd like to believe this is an illusion, I think you should look behind you."

Heracross noticed Machoke's friends grinning and pointing in said direction as the beetle's eyes went wide, Heracross turning around slowly, his jaw dropped when he noticed Machoke was up. But not only was he up, he looked as if all that damage dealt earlier meant nothing.

"Oh, how nice, you still have spirit in you," Heracross said with his friendly smile returning, Machoke remarking, "Can it!" all going silent as he added, "You know, Heracross, as powerful as you are, you also seemed like a good guy. I would have taken defeat hard at first, but I would have accepted Tokyo in your hands eventually. But after what I just heard, I can't believe I thought so highly of you!"

Heracross blinked, the audience staring at him as he uttered, "I dinnae know what you mean," the beetle keeping his friendly look as Machoke remarked, "Come on, tell the people what you said to yourself, about how you care more about fame than protecting them!"

Weedle was now curious as Reika asked, "Is that what he was saying?" one audience member shouting, "That's gotta be a lie! Heracross is a great guy, one of the greatest I've seen!" the beetle nodding and saying, "Clearly you're trying to turn the people against me, lad. That's a sign of poor sportsmanship," the people booing Machoke before throwing pop and beer cans at his head.

"I hate to say it, but I'm with the crowd on this one," Reika said, "Machoke's being really immature right now, even for him," Aipom shaking her head and remarking, "No, you're wrong. I know Machoke isn't completely honest, but he was telling the truth just now. I could see it in his eyes."

The crowd stopped to listen to the monkey as Machoke's eyes sparkled only for Heracross to remark, "You're loyalty to your student is most commendable, but it's clear as rain that loyalty is the only reason you're saying all of this. After all, you knew Machoke and his friends were shirking in their duties and said nothing about it!" the monkey's eyes and mouth wide open as she stood still, her body twitching. As painful as it was to admit, he was right.

The crowd was now shaking their heads in disapproval at the monkey, Aipom trying her absolute hardest not to cry. She truly believe she was right and to have everyone turn against her like this was painful. Even she almost felt like pretending not to believe what she said just so they would stop giving her cold looks.

However, the one member of the audience who shockingly had not shown support for Heracross was Lopunny, the rabbit standing up and shouting, "STOP IT!" everyone staring at her as she took a deep breath saying, "Heracross, we've been friends for over a month. How could you forget that my ears can pick up on the tiniest of sounds?"

Heracross flinched and remarked, "What are you saying, lass?" Lopunny glaring at him and retorting, "I heard it too! Machoke's not lying! You were talking about using your reputation to get citizens to pay you for your duties! You were talking about being in magazine ads and commercials! You didn't seem to care at all about protecting the citizens of Tokyo!"

Everyone stared as Weedle asked, "Is this true? Hard to side with you when your own ally won't," Heracross letting down nervous sweat as Machoke glared at the beetle, saying, "Tell the truth."

The beetle simply maintained his friendly smile, but found himself having trouble keeping it up as his body twitched rigorously. It was as if smiling along was physically hurting him right now. It was just as Weedle said: his own ally, let alone an ally whom a lot of people had developed a lot of respect for recently, had just ratted him out. What could he do?

And he soon realized the answer as he exclaimed, "Fine, I admit it!" all going silent as he spat, "I did nae ever want to be a hero! When I was forced into the academy, I had this plan to graduate just so I could run away without being hunted down!" Aipom asking, "Well, if that's the case, why not take this opportunity?" Heracross smirking and replying, "It's quite simple, you wee lass."

Everyone listened closely as the beetle added, "Halfway through the course, I discovered through the newspapers Riolu would give us to motivate us that heroes with great track records were extremely popular. They had action figures dedicated to them among many other things! Some have even appeared on TV, and not just on the wrestling channel either!"

The crowd simply could not believe what they were hearing as the beetle added, "I wanted it all for myself! Fame, fortune and, heck, even the idea of getting a girl sounds pretty intriguing too! I could nae care less about the lives of you whelps! As long as I get what I want in exchange for your safety, I'll gladly step in and fight for you, but only if you can pay me!"

Heracross naturally received a number of cold stares, Machoke grunting, "You make me sick! We put up with intense training to prepare us for even worse battles on Earth! We risk our lives to save these people and expect nothing in return, and you know why!? Because that in itself is its own reward!"

Aipom bit her lower lip, a light smile forming as tears rolled down her cheeks, the boy adding, "I didn't want to be a hero at first either! I hear you! I was absolutely terrified of the idea! I wanted to escape from that school, but I stayed because after winning my first fight, I knew how important this was! I knew that my safety is just as important as the safety of every innocent human! When I defeated Rotom and Bisharp, I didn't feel like I had just wasted precious moments of my life that I will never get back! I felt like I was worth something, like I had made a difference in the world! In other words, I felt like a true hero!"

The crowd went wild after that speech, some whistling in admiration as others gave a standing ovation. Even Reika could not help but let down tears as she sniffed, "That was beautiful," Keiko nodding and replying, "The Mach family may not be the most intelligent, but they've got big hearts."

Lopunny took a deep breath and stated, "As much as I want to win the tournament, I want you to put this jerk in his place, Machoke! He's no longer my friend!"

After that, Lopunny pumped her ears in the air chanting, "Machoke! Machoke!" Reika nodding and doing the same, everyone in the area following. It was just like with Gardevoir only Machoke had a lot more people on his side and there was no way any of these people would change back to Heracross' side even if he won.

Machoke grinned before replacing it with a serious look and rushing toward Heracross, the beetle still trying to collect himself and therefor was unable to respond. Machoke proceeded to send a hard blow to his face. However, just as he was about to send another punch the beetle's way, Heracross grabbed hold of his wrist, all going silent.

"SO WHAT IF I WANT A LITTLE FAME!?" Heracross spat before ramming his horn hard into Machoke's forehead, the boy crying out in pain as blood came from his mouth, the beetle adding, "SO WHAT IF I WANT SOME FORTUNE!?" ramming his horn into the boy's face again, this time drawing blood from his forehead. The crowd gasped as the beetle shouted, "THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH WANTING TO BASK IN THE GLORY! AS LONG AS I'M DOING THE RIGHT THING IN THE END, I FEEL THAT MORE THAN JUSTIFIES MY WANTS!"

However, just as the beetle was about to ram his horn into Machoke one last time, the boy lifted up his arm and blocked it, his hand actually managing to hold it back this time. Even with Heracross adding to the pressure, Machoke was still able to keep it from hitting him as the beetle released his hold on him, slowly dropping to his knees with a look of terror on his face, Machoke still pushing on his horn.

"You're right," Machoke replied, "There is nothing wrong with wanting a little respect. But even so, that does not mean you should put that above all else. The important thing is not money or advertizements with your face on them, but the fact that you're doing your duty. It's nice to get a few perks, sure, but that should never be your primary focus otherwise you're fighting for the wrong reasons. The greatest creations come from the heart and not from a lust for wealth."

Heracross was now trembling as the boy added, "And you know, being successful doesn't always guarantee you'll get what you want either. I mean, heck, even after all I've done, it takes people a while to remember my name, and while I act annoyed and self-centred at first, I realize in the end that it really doesn't matter just as long as those people are alive to tell me they don't know who I am."

Heracross stared silently for a few seconds before grimacing and remarking, "THAT IS THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!" but just as he was about to fight back, Machoke simply leaned back while still holding onto his horn and kicking him hard in the chest, sending him flying high above the ring.

After that, Machoke leapt high into the air up to his level before flipping him upside-down. The boy then proceeded to wrap his arms around his waistline and his legs around the area just below his arms before shouting, "ULTIMATE DRIVER!"

While the two descended, Heracross laughed and spat, "ARE YOU DAFT!? I'LL JUST HAVE MY HORN STOP THE COLLISION AGAIN!" Machoke exclaiming, "DON'T THINK I FORGOT ABOUT THAT!"

With that, the boy tightened his legs, making it harder for Heracross to breathe. As such, it was more difficult for him to concentrate and lower his horn in time, therefore his head was slammed hard against the canvas, his eyes and mouth wide open from the shock of it all.

When Machoke released the beetle, allowing him to fall, Weedle took a deep breath and rang the bell before announcing, "And so A block's second match of The Next Gen Battle goes to Machoke!" the crowd going wild as one member of the audience spat, "I PROMISE I WON'T FORGET YOUR NAME THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU!"

Aipom sprinted into the ring and leapt up onto Machoke's shoulder, giving him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek squealing, "YOU ARE THE BEST STUDENT I COULD EVER ASK FOR!" Machoke groaning, "Please, not in front of Reika."

However, the girl seemed more focused on Weedle right now, the caterpillar having this strange look in his eyes, almost like he was trying to hide positivity. Seeing this, the girl asked, "You wanted Machoke to win in the end, didn't you?" Weedle's eyes widening before he remarked, "Of course not, citizen! I'm supposed to be neutral in all of this!"

However, Machoke looked rather shocked when he heard Heracross utter, "Hey, laddie, lend me an ear," the boy blinking and nodding before leaning down, the beetle sighing, "You know, you're a lot smarter than you look," his eyes then closing for good as the medics came in to help him out of the ring, Machoke smiling and saying, "I think Heracross is gonna be alright."

With that, Weedle noticed the light had not yet come up as he said, "You know what? It's the final match. I guess we may as well watch the rest of it on the big screen," the TV once again brought into the area as the worm turned in on.

What was on the screen was absolutely terrifying, though, as Golurk was using one of the ropes as a lasso and swinging Blaziken around. Upon seeing this, Machoke's positivity instantly faded as he spat, "BLAZIKEN!"


	19. Chapter 19

Note: Some of you have probably already caught onto this, and I'm sorry for not pointing this out sooner, but for purposes related to the story, some designs have been altered. Clearly the major standouts so far are those of Magnemite, Onix and the Pokemon revealed in this chapter.

Just as things were finally starting to look up, life had already put a damper on everyone's good mood. While Machoke had won his match against Heracross and may have even changed him for the better, Blaziken was not having it so well as one of the ring's ropes was being used as a weapon. Not only that, but she had plenty of bruises all over her body, meaning she had already taken in quite a beating prior to this.

Weedle immediately called for a chopper to come and take them to the stadium immediately, Machoke staring in confusion as Weedle sighed, "Seeing as you're a participant and Aipom's your trainer, you may join me. I figure you'd want to be there for your friend, right?" Lopunny also joining the two as all four entered the flying vessel and taking off.

Those still in the bleachers decided to watch the events on the TV to make sure things would turn out alright. This was not just bad news for Machoke and the others but for the audience as well. Of all four of the heroes in Tokyo, Blaziken was the most popular, so to see a rope being used like this against her created a huge upset among the vast majority of the crowd.

At this time, Lucario had finally arrived at the stadium, only this time he was wearing a black T-shirt with a hole in the front for his spike and a pair of shorts. He was also holding a bucket of popcorn and a jumbo-sized drink.

'Well, this should be interesting,' the dog thought as he spotted an empty seat, 'Though considering it's a fight between heroes, it's probably not going to be super exciting.'

But when he sat down and noticed Golurk using the rope to slam Blaziken's head into a turnbuckle, his interest peeked as he thought, 'Or maybe not. I'm glad I didn't miss the whole thing.'

Thanks to Weedle's mode of transportation, it did not take long for the others to arrive as Machoke ran toward the ring but stopped a short distance from it, exclaiming, "BLAZIKEN, ARE YOU OKAY!?" the chicken looking at him weakly and trying to give him a positive look to lighten his spirits only for Golurk to ram her head into a turnbuckle, tugging on the rope and spinning her around again.

Machoke then turned and noticed Lucario, saying, "Oh, hey, it's Lucario," turning back before his eyes widened, the boy turning and exclaiming, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" the dog sighing, "Don't get the wrong idea. I simply wanted to watch the match and nothing else," taking a sip of his drink as Machoke shrugged and turned back to the ring.

"Mister Weedle, sir, what are you doing here?" Nori asked, suddenly realizing she had said this into the mic as she quickly set it to the side.

Weedle took a deep breath and replied, "I'm here to prevent foul play, that's what!" the caterpillar barking, "Hey, Golurk, it's against the rules to use the rope as a weapon!"

Golurk's eyes went wide as he turned toward the caterpillar, remarking, "Can it, old-timer! I can do whatever I want!" Weedle remarking, "For your information, I'm forty-seven!" Machoke turning to Aipom and whispering, "He looks like he's in his sixties to me," Aipom remarking, "Don't be... oh, you're right, he does," the monkey actually snickering as Weedle chose to ignore this.

"Golurk, put her down," Lopunny protested, "I've read the rules and he's right!" Scyther cutting in and saying, "Sorry about this, chairman, but you see, Golurk isn't really knowledgeable when it comes to the rules. Every time we'd have a classroom lecture, he'd doze off, so he never actually picked up on any of that."

"Well, that's even more disgraceful!" Weedle remarked, Golurk grunting, "What are you gonna do about it!?" the caterpillar retorting, "I'll show you, or rather tell you!"

All went silent as the bug added, "Golurk, you are disqualified!" all going silent as Machoke grinned, saying, "Alright, that means we got another win, right?" Weedle turning to the boy and sighing, "I hate to say it, but yes."

However, all went silent when Blaziken exclaimed, "NO!" everyone staring at her as she added, "Look, to me, this is like the matches on Hero Planet! Our instructors never held back because they wanted to give us a sample of what to expect when fighting villains!" Golurk once again ramming her into the turnbuckle as she shook off the pain and added, "I see this as experience, so keep the match going!"

All went silent as Lopunny asked, "Is that allowed?" Weedle sighing, "You've read the rules. If the opponent is okay with the rule violation, the match will continue."

"ARE YOU NUTS!?" Machoke retorted, Blaziken giving him a confident smile as Lucario said, "Oh, I like her," taking a big bite of his popcorn while Aipom gave him an awkward look. What was up with Lucario's attitude toward this?

"Big words from someone in your position," Golurk said, still swinging Blaziken, "but if you ask me, you should have accepted that!" Blaziken remarking, "I plan to win this fairly and I'm going to!"

With that, the chicken finally fought back as she spun her body around, wrapping more rope around her but also allowing her to get close to the golem. Once she was close enough, her head burst into flame as she spat, "FIRE PECK!" sending her beak hard into Golurk's chest.

Despite her opponent being made of stone, the added fire to the attack seemed to strengthen it just enough as Golurk winced, releasing his hold on the rope. This allowed Blaziken to free herself as she proceeded to send a hard kick to his midsection, the crowd going wild.

Machoke breathed a sigh of relief before exclaiming, "ALRIGHT, WAY TO GO, BLAZIKEN!" Lucario looking calm as Aipom thought, 'Did he know she was going to do that?'

Golurk took a deep breath when suddenly, a small crack formed on the spot Blaziken had hit, the crowd staring in shock. Seeing this, Weedle asked, "Golurk, do you wish to continue? It looks like your body's been damaged," the golem shaking his head and remarking, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

While the audience found this rather rash on his part, Blaziken could not help but feel there was more to this. Rock types generally had stronger bodies than real rocks and as such, it was very difficult to put so much as a dent in one. This was shown when Blaziken fought Onix as she had dealt a considerable amount of damage to him but not a single part of him got chipped or anything along those lines.

With that, Blaziken frowned and said, "You're hiding something, I just know it," Golurk simply chuckling and remarking, "Well, you seem certain of that. Why not try and prove it?" the chicken retorting, "Gladly!"

As such, the proceeded to send a series of punches to the spot she had cracked, the crack getting a little bit bigger. However, Golurk was not going to stand by and let her whale on him as he sent a punch toward her head. However, Blaziken saw this coming as she flipped backwards to avoid the attack, placing her hands firmly against the mat before sending the heels of her feet hard into Golurk's chin.

The crowd went wild as this proved enough to knock the golem on his back, Blaziken quickly flipping him over and wrapping her arms and feet around his leg, squeezing tightly on it while twisting it. Machoke grinned and said, "Wow, I thought Blaziken was gonna lose, but she might just win this after all," Aipom nodding and replying, "Yeah, now that she's freed herself, Golurk can't do a thing!"

However, Golurk did not seem the least bit fazed by this as he sighed, "Is that really all you can do? I expected better from the Texas Phoenix."

"What the hell are you going on about?" Blaziken remarked, "If you're trying to psyche me out, it's not working!" the chicken making her hold tighter as Golurk sighed, "I've heard that this is your family's greatest submission hold and yet I can barely feel a thing from it," Machoke staring in absolute horror asking, "Is he kidding!? That looks painful as hell!" Lopunny saying, "I can't tell if he's trying to psyche her out or not."

"Wait, if I'm not mistaken, you're supposed to be his ally," Lucario said in response to this, "Shouldn't you know what he's like in battle?" the rabbit replying, "Well, it is true that Golurk is our friend, but he's never really told us much about him. I know he's a bit hardheaded and stubborn, but that's about it."

Blaziken continued to tighten the hold as Golurk sighed, "It's funny, I figured you'd be stronger than your mom but you're nothing more than a pale imitation of her," the chicken fuming before retorting, "I'LL SHOW YOU!" pulling as tightly as she possibly could.

After that, everyone gasped when Golurk's leg started to crack. Soon enough, the leg came right off, Blaziken's eyes going wide as she as quickly got back up, dropping the leg and breathing heavily.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, "I didn't mean to go that far!" Weedle saying, "Golurk, I insist that you exit this ring for treatment now!" the golem laughing while sitting there and remarking, "Don't you worry about me, oldie, I'm perfectly fine."

Everyone in the audience stared in absolute silence when suddenly, a set of talons came out from the hole Blaziken's attack had left, a bird's leg covered in white and orange feathers taking its place. As if things could not get stranger, Golurk proceeded to pull off his other leg, that one being replaced by a bird's leg as well.

Lucario's eyes went wide as he subconsciously crushed his cup, uttering, "No... it can't be..." Machoke and Aipom staring at him in confusion. Did he know something they did not?

However, things did not end there as the golem stood up, his back coming open as a pair of wings with black feathers on the outer half and orange feathers on the inner half came out, the orange feathers forming an image of a flame. His rear end also cracked open to reveal four black tail feathers with yellow stripes running across the two in the middle.

Golurk also pried off his arms as new ones emerged, these ones looking very similar to his new feet. Soon enough, the rest of him broke apart into small little pieces as the audience gasped, the golem now being replaced by a falcon with white feathers covering his lower half and orange feathers covering the top.

'No,' Lucario thought, now trembling as Aipom was even more confused. Machoke simply stared at this and said, "Oh, so he was a bird in disguise all along," the boy then scratching his head and asking, "How the hell was he able to pee with that thing on?" Aipom turning away from Lucario and remarking, "Is that really the most important question on your mind!?"

Scyther and Lopunny both stared at their partner as he smirked, saying, "I knew it would come to this soon enough," before exclaiming, "Ladies and gentlemen, what you all see before you is my true form! My real name is Fiarrow!" the falcon then giving Scyther and Lopunny each a quick glance before saying, "Sorry for lying to you guys about my identity. I had my own personal reasons for this, let's just leave it at that."

'He's still lying,' Lucario thought, 'But why is he here? What's he doing in a tournament for heroes?'

Lopunny blinked as Fiarrow added, "Trust me, Lopunny, my reasons were in no way malicious or evil. I promise I'll tell you someday, just not now," the rabbit nodding and replying, "Okay, I understand."

"Wait, hold on," Machoke said, turning to Weedle and asking, "Isn't this against the rules?" Weedle sighing, "Lying about your identity during a match is not against the rules, so this is perfectly acceptable," Machoke groaning, "Just when I was starting to respect you."

"Don't worry about it, Machoke," Blaziken replied with a grin, "New form or not, I can still handle this guy."

With that said, the chicken charged at Fiarrow only for him to propel himself off the mat thanks to his wings. The falcon flapped in the air for a while saying, "These babies aren't just for show," the falcon then soaring toward the chicken and planting his talons hard into her forehead, knocking her hard on her back.

After that, the falcon knelt down and started sending a barrage of punches into the chicken's face. However, Blaziken was more than prepared for this as she sent her legs upward, lashing her feet onto Fiarrow's ribcage. The crowd cheered in response to this as Machoke said, "Alright, with that grip, any move he tries will only hurt him more."

"So you were actually paying attention to the lessons," Weedle stated, Machoke sticking his tongue out at him before exclaiming, "ALRIGHT, BLAZIKEN, KEEP IT UP!"

However, Fiarrow simply ignored this and smirked, leaning forward even more as he sent more punches to Blaziken's face, the crowd staring in absolute wonder, Machoke asking, "That should be hurting him more than her, right?" Aipom replying, "You're right, it should, but I get a feeling this Fiarrow is a lot more powerful than he first seemed," Machoke trembling and replying, "And he already seemed powerful."

However, Blaziken refused to let this get her down as she lifted up her arms, grabbing two incoming punches and twisting Fiarrow's arms. The falcon winced thus giving the bird time to flip herself over, using her legs to throw Fiarrow over her head so his ended up hitting the canvas.

After that, Blaziken grabbed hold of the falcon's legs and spat, "IF MY REGULAR MOVE COULDN'T HURT YOU, SURELY THIS WILL!" the chicken latching her arms and legs to both his legs at once. Since they were much slimmer now, it was certainly possible to pull this off. However, despite all of this, Fiarrow acted as if this did not hurt in the slightest.

"You must be really desperate if you're trying that move again," the falcon said tauntingly, "You try desperately to be better than your mother, but you're not even close to her level! Right now, this feels more like a massage than a submission hold!"

"SHUT UP!" Blaziken snapped, "I KNOW YOU'RE LYING!" the chicken adding more pressure when suddenly, Fiarrow rose his wings up, Machoke shouting, "BLAZIKEN, BEHIND YOU!"

Unfortunately, it was too late as Fiarrow bumped the backs of his wings into the chicken's back, resulting in her loosening her grip as the falcon took full advantage of this, throwing his legs backward and flinging the chicken into the turnbuckle. The crowd was truly astounded by this as not only had he gotten out of the hold with incredible ease, he had used his wings as a weapon without harming them in any way.

"I can see you're all surprised," Fiarrow said with a smirk, "See, I've got a lot of muscle in me, and that includes my wings! Normally to have those hit would weaken any bird and stunt his flight, but mine are so strong that it's impossible to pull that off!"

Even Lopunny was afraid right now, but Scyther seemed neutral about this. Not happy, just neutral, almost like she did not even know how to respond to this. On one hand, her ally was winning, but on the other hand, could she even trust him anymore?

Blaziken shook the pain off of her head before shouting, "I WON'T BACK DOWN!" rushing toward the falcon only for him to take to the sky again before she could land an attack. However, Blaziken would not let him use this to his advantage again as she quickly leapt atop one of the ropes and bounced high into the air to where Fiarrow was.

The falcon's eyes went wide when the chicken grabbed hold of his winds and mounted herself onto his back exclaiming, "GOTCHA!" her feet bursting into flame as she propelled them above him and barked, "FLAME KICK!"

However, just as her talons were about to collide with the falcon's back, he simply folded his wings inward while keeping the ends flapping so he would still remain airborne. This allowed the wings to block her attack, and despite the incredible force from such a devastating move, the wings had completely prevented Fiarrow from taking in damage.

"I told you, my wings are really strong!" the falcon exclaimed before using them to force Blaziken off of his back. However, before she could land on the mat, Fiarrow performed a U-turn in the air, getting right behind her and wrapping his arms and legs around her.

"BLAZIKEN, GET OUT OF THAT HOLD!" Machoke spat, Aipom biting her lip and whimpering, "I don't think even she can pull that off," and this seemed true when Fiarrow's entire body burst into flame, the bird performing another U-turn only this time, he stopped before positioning himself upright and continued to soar toward the mat shouting, "OH YEAH, I FORGOT TO MENTION, I'M ALSO A FIRE TYPE!"

All went silent as Fiarrow belted, "FLARE BLITZ!" slamming Blaziken's head hard into the canvas. Machoke stared wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open as Aipom covered her mouth, Lucario wincing at the sight of this.

When Fiarrow released his hold on Blaziken and allowed her to collapse, everyone knew she was not getting up from that as she lay there, her eyes rolled to the back of her head. However, while everyone had actually cheered for Lopunny and Scyther despite them being new, no one even knew how to react to this. Should they be thrilled that such a powerhouse was on their side or should they feel bad that he had acted with such malice?

"And the B block's second match of The Next Gen Battle goes to Go-I mean Fiarrow!" Nori exclaimed, ringing the bell and adding, "Blaziken was the favourite to win, but it seems she could not stand up to this amazing newcomer!"

Lucario simply got up from his seat with a cold look in his eyes and exited the stadium. Just what did he know about this Fiarrow and why was he keeping it bottled up? Was there more to this newcomer than met the eye?

Either way, Machoke was absolutely terrified as a big wet spot formed on his speedo, Aipom too frightened herself to react to this. Fiarrow simply smirked at Blaziken and said, "You don't deserve to call yourself a phoenix. Just call yourself the Texas Chicken, because that's what you are."

With that, a group of medics raced into the ring and loaded the chicken up onto a bed to carry her to the hospital truck parked outside. No one would have ever expected fights between heroes to be so brutal and yet all four had ended with someone being hospitalized.

When Fiarrow stepped out of the ring he smiled at his team mates, yet shockingly enough, neither looks all too happy about his win. Scyther had her arms folded with a cold look in her eyes while Lopunny looked scared out of her mind.

"Look, as I said, I'm sorry for lying to you guys, okay?" Fiarrow said with a friendly smile, "Again, I have my own reasons and I really will tell you what they are some day! But you seem to forget that we're on the same team! I'm not gonna turn on any of you, alright?"

Lopunny blinked and took a deep breath, asking, "So, you are still our friend?" the falcon nodding as Scyther still had a cold look on her face, Lopunny saying, "Please, Scyther, I know he lied to us, but-" Scyther holding up her hand and saying, "Even if I could overlook that, don't think I'm going to go easy in our match."

Machoke blinked and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot, they both won the B block matches," Weedle nodding and replying, "Yep, and that means they're going to be facing each other in the next round."

Even so, Machoke was still scared. He was all alone against three members of Team Next Gen. Sure Lopunny was at least nicer and less scary than the other two, but she was also very strong and Machoke knew she was not going to hold back.

But of course he could not overlook Fiarrow and Scyther. Both during their matches had proven themselves to be scary. All Machoke had seen from Scyther was how she finished off Gallade in the replay footage, and the fact that she would resort to cutting open another hero was not something to overlook. And of course, Fiarrow seemed incredibly ruthless, willing to resort to any means necessary to win, even breaking the rules.

One thing was for certain. Things would not be easy for Machoke and he would have try harder than ever before if he wanted to remain stationed in Tokyo along with his friends.


	20. Chapter 20

With round one out of the way, it was time for a break from all the fighting as Weedle decided to give everyone two days to rest up before the semi-finals. However, before doing anything else, Machoke went to check up on his friends in the hospital.

Gallade and Gardevoir were awake but could not move, Gallade now having stitches across his chest. It seemed that gash Scyther gave him had left a permanent scar. To think a hero would go that far against someone fighting for the side of good.

Gardevoir simply smiled at Machoke and squeaked, "Good job in your match, Machoke," Gallade nodding and saying in a weak tone, "You're the man," taking a deep breath as even that sentence took quite a bit of strength to let out.

"Did you see what happened to Blaziken?" Machoke asked, hoping they had not as Gardevoir whimpered, "I hope she turns out okay. Her beating looked far worse than ours," the girl then smiling softly and adding, "But it's okay because I know you're going to win the tournament for us, right?"

Machoke took a deep breath and nodded with a serious look in his eyes, saying, "I'll make them all pay. I promise," the boy already starting to regret those words but chose not to let his emotions ruin the moment.

At that moment, Reika and her friends entered as Tsuya ran over to Gallade exclaiming, "ARE YOU OKAY!?" throwing herself right over him and staring deep into his eyes, Gallade whimpering, "Guys, help me," Reika sighing, "Give him space, Tsuya."

Cici smiled at Gardevoir and said, "I thought you did a great job," Gardevoir giving the girl a big smile and replying, "Thank you. That means a lot."

After a bit more talking, the group headed out of the hospital as Reika turned to Machoke with a serious look on her face. Machoke knew what she meant and nodded, a confident smile forming on his. Sure, he was scared, but there was no way he could allow himself to lose.

However, he would have to think about this later as that evening, Weedle had set up a big meeting regarding the semi-finals. Quite a number of guests had arrived at the same building he had introduced the new graduates in, including Aipom who was wearing a small tuxedo and a bow-tie.

Reika and Keiko were there as well wearing their nicest dresses for the occasion when Reika noticed the monkey, smiling and saying, "Wow, you look positively adorable," Aipom blushing and uttering, "No, I look too much like a boy!" Keiko laughing and saying, "Honestly, that suits you much more than a dress would. Trust me, I'm a fashion expert."

The monkey smiled lightly and nodded, saying, "Thank you," when Weedle tapped a microphone with his horn, getting everyone's attention.

"Thank you all for coming," the caterpillar said, "As you all know, the first round of The Next Gen Battle is over. Currently, it seemed the odds are stacked in Team Next Gen's favour, but anything could happen. And a reminder to everyone, the first match will be between A block's Lopunny and Machoke while the second match will be between B block's Scyther and Fiarrow."

One news reporter in the crowd held up his own mic asking, "Sir, where are the semi-finalists at this time?" Weedle nodding his head and replying, "Worry not, for they are in this building. I've set up a grand entrance for them therefor Machoke won't be doing anything stupid this evening."

With that, the lights were dimmed as fog came out from behind a big curtain, covering the stage. Everyone marvelled at the sight of this when the silhouettes of the heroes appeared, all of them striking cool poses. However, one particular silhouette was unable to hold its pose as the owner ended up falling sides, running into the one next to him and knocking it over, Weedle groaning and shaking his head. Of course this was bound to happen.

As the fog cleared, no one was the least bit surprised to find that Machoke was the one who lost his balance, though thankfully the one he had bumped into was Lopunny. As the boy slowly got up, he held out his hand saying, "Sorry about that," the rabbit taking his hand as he helped her up and replying, "Don't worry, I know you didn't mean it."

Reika took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, at least they're not fighting with each other," Keiko chuckling and replying, "His father wasn't that much different."

Fiarrow simply rolled his eyes at this, though his look soon turned to shock when he turned toward Scyther to see her reaction. And soon enough, everyone else had the same surprised look when they noticed Scyther was not standing next to him. Instead, it was the red insect from before, Scizor.

Aipom's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "Oh my god, that's the great Scizor! Mommy told me all sorts of things about her!" the insect blinking and looking down at her asking, "Your mother wouldn't happen to be Ambipom, would she?" the monkey nodding as Scizor smiled, saying, "Never thought I'd get to meet her daughter."

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" Fiarrow snapped with a look of fury in his eyes, "SCYTHER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, NOT YOU!" Weedle nodding and replying, "While I don't approve of the outburst, Fiarrow has a good point. Why are you here instead of Scyther?"

Scizor took a deep breath and replied, "Scyther asked me to take her place on stage, Herr Chairman," Weedle nodding and replying, "I see. In that case, I got another question that everyone's been dying to know."

"Don't bother," Scizor remarked, holding out her hand and adding, "You all want to know what my connection to Scyther is, and I guess I do owe you all an explanation, especially with the way I've been away for so many years," Weedle replying, "I was going to ask about that too. I'm just glad we're on the same page."

Machoke had not seen her sudden appearance in the B Block area earlier, so this was the first he had heard of this. Now even he was interested as he at least knew who Scizor was and why she was so famous, one such reason being the fact that she was once Greninja's partner for a tag team match.

"First of all, yes, I am Scyther's lehrer," Scizor replied, "That's German for teacher," Lopunny nodding and asking, "But why wouldn't Scyther tell us something like that?" Fiarrow nodding and folding his arms, saying, "That's a very good question. You'd better have damn good explanation for that."

"It's simply because I told her not to," Scizor stated, all going silent until she added, "See, I wanted to make my return to the world of wrestling a surprise until the right moment came up, but, well, she revealed that she knew my signature Arm Schwert before she was supposed to, though I guess in a sense I am glad that I don't have to hide it anymore."

Everyone nodded in understanding as Scizor proceeded to explain, "As for where I've been all this time, well, when Machamp defeated Deoxys and saved the world, evil pretty much came to a halt, and unfortunately, fighting evil was all I really could do with my life. Now that it was gone, I was out of a job, so I left back home to Germany. I tried finding a new form of work, but that was a disaster, so I moved into an abandoned movie theatre and lived off of whatever I could find."

The people all listened with intent save for Fiarrow who sighed, "Yeah, yeah, your life sucked, but what about Scyther?" Scizor remarking, "I'm getting to that, impatient one!" Fiarrow folding his arms and narrowing his eyelids, the insect continuing her story.

"One day, just when I was about to give up on life as I knew it, a young man entered the theatre," Scizor added with a light smile on her face, adding, "His name was Kristof and he was so handsome. He tried to cheer me up and give me a reason to keep living, even offered me a job at a meat-processing plant he owned. At first, I tried to brush him off, feeling like I didn't deserve anyone's sympathy, but he was persistent, so I finally took him up on his offer."

While Scizor continued her story, she reminisced about her first day on the job. At first, she was terrible at it, creating a mess at every turn and coming very close to chopping her arm off. However, Kristof guided her through everything and eventually, she was able to work just as well as he did, soon being promoted to assistant manager.

During this time, Scizor fell in love with the young man, and always having been a woman of action, she was the first to confess these feelings. She was afraid that he might not be interested in a romance what with him being a human and her being an insect, but thankfully, Kristof shared her feelings, admitting that he had actually felt this kind of connection between them since the day he hired her.

"Our wedding day was the happiest moment of my life," Scizor said with a soft smile, letting down a light tear as the audience could not help but shed tears of their own, Aipom sniffing, "That's so sweet," Reika and Keiko nodding.

"So where is he now?" Machoke asked, Scizor replying, "This is where my connection with Scyther really comes in," Fiarrow sighing, "Finally! That romance stuff was making me sick!" Scizor shooting the falcon a glare before clearing her throat and carrying on.

"One day, two years after we had been married, a couple of people broke into our house," Scizor stated, "They were a couple of wanted convicts who were well-known for taking violent action against anyone who promoted the consumption of meat. You could call them vegetarian extremists if you will," one vegetarian person in the crowd gulping nervously and pulling on his collar, the insect adding, "Kristof was strong, but these people had weapons and, well, I'm certain you can all guess what happened next."

All went silent as people stared in absolute horror, the Scizor saying, "To make matters worse, I had been pregnant for nine months at the time, so lord knew I should not have been doing anything too extreme. However, seeing what these people had done brought out a level of anger I had never reached before. I lashed out at them, pulling out everything I had, but I knew my beloved Kristof would not want me to kill in cold blood, so I simply called the police and had them arrested. Unfortunately, it was shortly after they arrived that my water broke and I was rushed to the hospital."

"Oh, I think I get it now," Fiarrow said with a smirk, "You're Scyther's mom, aren't you?" Scizor nodding and replying, "Precisely," everyone truly amazed, but in retrospect, all of them felt like this should have obvious from the start. After all, the two did look very similar.

"I never sent my daughter to school," Scizor explained, "I taught her everything myself after she turned three. The one technique she had always been really good with was the Arm Schwert as it came naturally to her. But even with her not being so good with the others, she was a very fast learner, and I'll admit, my trainers methods were harsh, but she had no problem with any of them. She had always wanted to be strong, like me."

Fiarrow's eyebrow rose but the falcon said nothing as the audience was truly touched, Machoke now tearing up as he sniffed, "That was such a sad story, Miss Scizor! I would love to be your student too if you would take me!" Scizor replying, "As much as I respect your father and his family, I must decline. Scyther is my only schuler, got it?" Machoke blinking as the bug sighed, "It means student," Machoke nodding in understanding.

"Oh well, I'm sure my buddy Lopunny would love to team up with me, eh?" Machoke asked, grinning at the rabbit as she smiled, replying, "Sorry, but you're my opponent," the boy trembling as he looked at Fiarrow and said, "Uh... no."

Aipom face-palmed and groaned, "Is he actually thinking of switching sides?" Reika and Keiko shaking their heads as Fiarrow asked, "I got one more question. Where is Scyther right now?"

Scizor blinked and replied, "Oh yes, I was going to explain that. Well, currently, my schuler is off training in a nearby forest to get ready for the match," Fiarrow gritting his teeth and remarking, "EVERY ONE OF US HELD OFF ON OUR OWN PERSONAL VENDETTAS TO BE HERE THIS EVENING! HOW DARE SHE NOT SHOW UP!?" everyone gasping as Weedle said, "Look, I wish she could have come, too, but there's no need to be so upset about this."

"CAN IT, FOGIE!" the falcon retorted before shooting Scizor a glare and adding, "The next time you see your precious 'schuler', give her a message from me," Scizor staring at him as he stated, "You're going down!" the falcon holding a thumb down before turning and storming out of the area.

Everyone stared, wondering why Fiarrow was making such a big deal out of this. So what if Scyther was off training? If anything, it meant she was invested and took the match seriously, so why was he so offended by this?

Either way, things calmed down after he had finally left, Reika taking a deep breath and asking, "What's his problem?" Keiko shrugging and replying, "To be fair, he seemed to have issues already."

All the while, Fiarrow was walking away from the building as he sighed, "Oh well, at least I learned something interesting today," a smirk on his face as he spread his wings and flapped off into the night with no real destination in mind.

The rest of the event went okay with people having refreshments, Scizor talking to Aipom as she exclaimed, "No way! Ambipom's teaching children how to fight!?" the monkey nodding and replying, "Yep, you just can't take the teacher out of this family," before adding, "You should let Machamp know you're back in the game. I'm sure he'd love to meet up with you again. You might even get to be one of Hero Planet's instructors."

Scizor shook her head and replied, "Right now, my top priority is my daughter. I care so much about her and really want her to succeed. In fact, I actually asked her before we started training if there's anything else she'd rather do in life."

"What did she say?" Aipom asked, the insect replying, "My greatest desire is to be like you when I grow up," Aipom saying, "Wow, very articulate for a three-year-old," Scizor chuckling and replying, "I taught her how to read when she was almost two and the first thing she did after learning was read through the entire dictionary," Aipom's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "OH MY GOD, THAT'S JUST LIKE ME, ONLY I DID ALL THAT A YEAR EARLIER!"

"Geez, what a boring childhood," Machoke muttered to himself before walking over to Reika to talk to her so he would not be bored the rest of the evening.

Watching this, Scizor sighed, "I'll admit, that Machoke does remind me a lot of his father. People talk about how Machamp was this great, brave soldier, but he was very much like his son. Childish, lacking in intellect but also having a good heart and the ability to pull through when he really needed to."

Aipom blinked as Scizor added, "You know, the age of three was not the only time I gave Scyther the option to follow a different path. I've always given her a choice. As long as she trained under me, she would follow my methods and undergo harsh training, but if she would rather pursue a new career, I will gladly let her do so. I don't want her thinking she's useless like I almost did."

"You're a very good mommy," Aipom replied with a big smile as Scizor sighed, "Well, there was one day I actually struck her, and it wasn't during training either."

Aipom stared with confusion as the insect added, "It was shortly after she turned eight. I once again asked her if she would ever think of pursuing another goal, and here's what she told me."

Scizor remembered a young Scyther standing before her, looking up at her and exclaiming, "I want to become big and strong so I can take down bad people like the ones who killed Father!"

As soon as she heard this, Scizor rose her hand and struck Scyther in the face, the child's eyes widening. However, due to her being trained to be tough under any circumstance, she did not shed so much as a tear when Scizor barked, "THAT IS A HORRIBLE REASON TO FIGHT!"

Scyther was even more confused as her mother added, "We fight to protect people, not for petty revenge, got it!? One day, I just know evil is going to return and your primary focus will be to focus on making sure they don't harm the innocent, nothing more!"

"But that's what I meant, lehrer," Scyther replied as Scizor's eyes widened, the child adding, "I want to take down bad people so no one else will have to die," Scizor looking into her daughter's eyes before hugging her tightly, sniffing, "Sorry for not understanding, mein liebling."

Back in present day time, Aipom simply nodded and said, "Still, that is certainly a good mindset to have. I still stand by what I said, you're a good mommy," the monkey then asking, "So, are you still willing to give her the option to choose a different path? She seems more than ready to take on evil."

"Trust me, that option will never leave," Scizor replied, "No matter how old she gets or how good she is at her job, I will always give her the option to pursue another path if she wants it. After all, it was choosing a new path that saved me."

During this time, Scyther was still in a nearby forest, racing through it and slicing down trees with her Arm Schwert technique. Only this time she was using both her arms to do it. Sure, Fiarrow may have been her ally, but there was no way she was going to hold back.

It was not as if she was spiteful toward Fiarrow either. Again, Scizor taught her never to use vengeance as a motivational tool, and she already believed in that even before she was told. She was just focused to the point where she simply viewed Fiarrow as any other opponent as opposed to a friend.

The next two days went by quickly with Machoke spending a great deal of time preparing for his match with Lopunny. Seeing as he was the only one left, he knew how difficult this was going to be, Aipom more than happy to see him taking this as seriously as he was.

And once the two days were up, it was finally time. The match was to take place in another park, only this one was more for going on nice walks than setting up picnic spreads and the like. Like before, bleachers had been set up in the area as a lot more people were coming to the event. There were snack vendors all around the area and even some people selling merchandise based off of the heroes who would be competing.

Machoke was headed to the park along with Aipom as he asked, "So, you remember what I asked you to do for my entrance?" the monkey nodding and replying, "Can you tell me what your contribution is going to be? I really don't understand why I have to hold a miniature trampoline by the side of the ring."

"You'll see soon enough," Machoke replied with a grin, "It's gonna be awesome!" the monkey sighing, "That's what I was afraid of."

Strangely enough, Lucario was not in this area. In fact, he had not been seen since Blaziken's match ended. Where had he gone and why was he so afraid of Fiarrow?

Either way, everyone was looking forward to the event, and the setting seemed fitting enough as there were plenty of Earth rabbits in the area. If anything, Lopunny would have been right at home, and Reika had a sneaking suspicion Weedle had something planned when he chose this location.

Because the matches were happening one-at-a-time as opposed to having both blocks going at once, Nori was in the announcer's seat this time as she exclaimed, "Welcome, everyone, to the second round of The Next Gen Battle!" the crowd cheering as the woman added, "It's been a pretty intense tournament so far, but now we've entered the semi-finals! Whoever wins these two matches will fight for the championship, but if Machoke loses, his team will be kicked out of Tokyo before the finals even begin!"

Fiarrow smirked when he heard this but looked as if he was hoping for Machoke to win, but why? Scyther all the while sat across from him, both giving each other a cold stare before turning back to the ring.

With that, Nori exclaimed, "In the red corner, representing Team Next Gen and weighing thirty-three kilograms, the bunny with an amazing spirit, Lopunny!" the rabbit bounding toward the ring on all fours with a group of rabbits following her as if she had trained them to do this. Once in front of the ring, she bounced high into the air and performed a flip before landing on her ears and performing a handstand with them, the crowd going wild.

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "representing Team Jinroku and weighing seventy kilograms, Machoke!" everyone turning before noticing Aipom standing with a small trampoline being held up by her tail hand, the monkey thinking, 'Please don't be embarrassing.'

Everyone stared in shock when Machoke bounced toward the ring, sporting a pair of sandals with springs glued to the bottom. When he got close, he smirked and started bouncing higher and higher before coming to the trampoline only to end up missing as he ended up bouncing straight into the ropes, the ropes sending him flying into a tree as everyone in the area laughed.

Reika face-palmed and groaned, "Even after everything that's happened, he can't be serious just this once," Lopunny blinking and saying, "Shame about the results, but that looked like a really cool idea," Machoke taking off the sandals and making his way over to the ring, climbing into it and acting as if that failure had not even happened.

Fiarrow simply watched with interest, wondering how Machoke would defeat Lopunny while Scyther said nothing. Lopunny simply bowed her head and said, "Machoke, I like you and all, but I can't let my team down. I hope you understand," the boy taking a deep breath, replying, "Me neither," Aipom glad to see him at least taking the match seriously as Nori rang the bell.


	21. Chapter 21

This was it. Machoke and Lopunny were finally going to face each other. Everyone waited in anticipation to see who would win, the audience not quite sure who to root for just yet.

When the match started, Lopunny immediately raced toward Machoke, the boy holding his ground as the rabbit sent her ears toward him like fists. Machoke took a deep breath and allowed the ears to get close before lifting up his arms and wrapping them around them, a smirk on his face.

"Don't think I forgot how this actually worked when Gardevoir used it against you," Machoke said before leaning backward, Aipom smiling bright when he lifted Lopunny up over his head. He was using his brain and he'd only just started.

However, Lopunny did not look the least bit scared as she quickly flipped her body around, her feet landing against the mat and stopping her from taking in damage. Machoke's eyes widened when it was him now being lifted up when Lopunny threw her head forward and pulling on him. Before the boy could even respond, he found himself making a collision with the canvas, the boy rolling around and clutching onto his head while the crowd cheered for Lopunny.

"And in a stunning turn of events, Lopunny has turned Machoke's own counter against him!" Nori exclaimed, Machoke rubbing his head as Lopunny took a deep breath, saying, "Just like you, I learned from watching your match with Heracross. I believe you called this the reverse of the reverse Suplex."

The boy's jaw dropped as he thought, 'Why did I not take that into consideration?' Lopunny bouncing back and forth on one foot at a time, pointing her finger at the boy like a shotgun and shouting, "BANG-BANG!"

"Oh god, she's even copying Gardevoir's entrance," Reika groaned, Cici whimpering in fear. It seemed Lopunny was even better at learning from other matches than Machoke, and this was not a good sign.

However, Machoke's confidence quickly returned when the rabbit sent her ears at him again, the boy leaping up and landing on top of one. However, unlike Gardevoir, he was unable to stand on top of it as the ear ended up dropping under his weight, Lopunny taking full advantage of this and having her other ear strike him on the side.

The boy winced in pain, holding onto the spot as Lopunny smiled, saying, "I already had a countermeasure planned for that, but clearly you're nowhere near as light on your feet as Gardevoir, so that strategy wouldn't have worked for you anyway."

Machoke then trembled and uttered, "Okay, Aipom, clearly my strategies are not working. Do you have something in mind?" Aipom replying, "Actually, those counterattacks were exactly what I had in mind," the boy face-palming. Of all the times for Aipom not to have advice, it had to be now.

Before he could think up something, Lopunny proceeded to send more attacks the boy's way. Machoke tried his best to avoid them but eventually took a hard blow to his chest. However, he then saw an opportunity as he grinned, grabbing hold of the ear before Lopunny could retract it.

The rabbit's eyes went wide with shock as Machoke exclaimed, "No offence, Lopunny, but you're going down now!"

With that, the boy proceeded to pull on the ear as Lopunny was once again lifted up. However, the rabbit simply grinned, expecting him to try the Suplex again. However, this time he had something different in mind as he swung her ear around like a lasso and released his hold on her, sending her flying hard into the turnbuckle.

Fiarrow's eyes went wide as he spat, "HEY, HE STOLE MY TECHNIQUE!" Machoke lowering his eyelid and sticking his tongue out at the falcon, remarking, "Yeah, that's right, I did!" the boy thinking, 'Although I didn't break the rules when using it myself.'

Fiarrow seemed to remember him almost being punished for it and was about to protest when Weedle remarked, "He's didn't use the ropes to do it, so it's perfectly legal," the falcon grumbling curses under his breath while Scyther said nothing to this.

Aipom gave Machoke thumbs up with her tail hand exclaiming, "Wow, that was really smart!" before groaning, "I can't believe I didn't come up with that," Reika and her friends cheering as well.

However, one portion of the crowd aside from Fiarrow was not particularly happy to see this, Machoke's eyes widening when he felt an ominous presence behind him. The boy slowly turned and saw a colony of rabbits behind him shooting him death glares.

"Sorry, little guys, it's just, you know, I kinda have to do this," Machoke said with light laughter as Lopunny blinked and nodded, saying, "He's right, my little bunny friends. This is a match and we're both fighting each other. It's not a fight to the death, so don't worry," the bunnies calming down a bit but still shooting Machoke death glares, one particular rabbit wearing an army helmet, everyone wondering where it got that from.

With that, the match resumed as Lopunny decided to ease up on the ears a bit now that Machoke had found a way to counter her ear punches. With that in mind, the rabbit bounded toward him, bouncing left and right to confuse him before sending a two legged kick his way from a right angle.

"MACHOKE, YOUR RIGHT!" Aipom spat, the boy nodding and turning to said angle before throwing out his arms, grabbing hold of the rabbit's ankles as she gasped in shock. Before she could even respond, Machoke leaned backwards, slamming her face hard into the canvas.

The crowd cheered for Machoke again as Nori stated, "After a rough start, it seems Machoke now has the upper hand as he's managed to counter two powerful attacks in a row!"

However, the rabbits were once again giving Machoke cold stares, the boy trembling as Lopunny got up, holding her hands out to them and saying, "Easy does it. He's not breaking any rules, okay?" the rabbits once again backing up, the one with the army helmet pointed its paw toward its eyes before directing it at Machoke, the boy thinking, 'What is wrong with them?'

Even his friends were worried right now, Cici whimpering, "Those rabbits scare me," Tsuya sighing, "Great, now she's afraid of rabbits," Aipom wondering what was up with them as well. Earth rabbits did not normally act this violent even when their own kind was being harmed.

However, Machoke decided to ignore this as Lopunny started sending her ears toward him again. Machoke simply blocked one with one hand, blocking the other with his own hand before thinking, 'I remember this. Gardevoir was able to block one when using both hands but left herself exposed. I'm not making that mistake.'

However, it seemed Lopunny had a different plan as she said, "I figured you'd like that," the rabbit using the ears as vaults to leap over Machoke's head, shouting, "BUNNY BOUNCE!" and planting her feet hard into his skull, the boy's eyes going wide as he fell down, the rabbits now becoming much more calm and less angry.

Aipom bit her lip and said, "Okay, I did not see that coming," Lopunny preparing to for the attack again, this time aiming for his back. Aipom could not stand to see that happen as she exclaimed, "MACHOKE, SHE'S USING IT AGAIN!" the boy's eyes widening as he quickly rolled to the side just in time to avoid it.

The crowd gasped as Nori said, "Despite all the pain Machoke's head must have been in, he still mustered up the strength to avoid another Bunny Bounce!" Lopunny's eyes going wide when the boy reached his arms around her waist, lifting her up.

Lopunny simply held her ears back, figuring she could stop a collision with the mat by using Heracross' method only for Machoke to end up faking her out as he shifted the direction of his attack sideways, slamming her on her side. The crowd once again applauded this as Machoke sighed, "I knew she was gonna try that," Aipom clapping happily and squealing, "He's doing so well, and I've barely said a thing!"

Machoke noticed Lopunny would not be getting up soon as he decided to take full advantage of this, climbing up onto the rope and saying, "Sorry, Lopunny, but I promised I'd win the tournament for everyone else," the boy leaping up with his elbow at the ready only for a white streak to come back him, ramming hard into his gut as he was knocked sideways. The boy fell on his back as he groaned in pain, noticing the one who had hit him was one of the rabbits, the rodent now standing in the ring and glaring menacingly at him.

As if that was not bad enough, the rabbit with the army helmet immediately pointed forward, letting out a high pitched noise as the other rabbits bounded into the ring, Machoke's eyes widening in absolute terror. After this, the rabbit bounced onto him, some biting into him while others started kicking various parts of him, one even kicking him square below the belt as the boy's eyes widened.

"Hey!" Aipom spat, turning to Weedle, "You're the authority here! Do something about this!" Weedle remarking, "Sorry, Aipom, but it's only illegal for other people to come in and assist a wrestler. Animals are not as capable of following our rules, so it's okay for them to be in the ring no matter what they do."

Reika stared blankly at the caterpillar and retorted, "WHAT KIND OF BACKWARDS LOGIC IS THAT!?" Tsuya nodding and remarking, "Yeah, this is really unfair for Machoke! This is supposed to be a one-on-one fight!" Keiko adding, "How can there not be a rule forbidding this!?" Weedle fuming, a vein forming on his forehead as he spat, "IT'S LEGAL, END OF STORY!"

Fiarrow was rather enjoying the spectacle while Scyther looked rather annoyed. As much as she wanted to win the tournament, she did not wish to win it in such a stupid manner, and she knew Lopunny would not approve of this either. As for the rest of the crowd, they were too afraid to even speak up against this.

"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?" Machoke spat as Aipom shouted, "TRY-" only for one lone rabbit to sneak up behind her, holding its paw over her mouth and pulling out a switchblade, holding it up for the monkey's cheek was she trembled in absolute horror.

"These rabbits aren't normal," Reika uttered, Weedle nodding and replying, "Yeah, it's recommended that tourists use extreme caution when walking through this park. The rabbits here are extremely aggressive and attack anyone who threatens their own kind," Reika retorting, "That's why you chose this area to have the match, isn't it!?" the caterpillar remarking, "Of course not. I don't play favourites."

It was painfully obvious the worm was lying, but even so, this hardly mattered. The point was Machoke was now getting a major beat-down and no one could help him. Or perhaps someone could, and that someone had finally recovered from the attack she had received as she slowly rose up into a sitting position, her eyes going wide at the sight of the rabbits whaling on Machoke.

"STOP!" Lopunny spat, the rabbits stopping and looking at her, the bunny stomping her feet against the mat and barking, "YOU LAY OFF HIM RIGHT NOW!" the rabbits backing up as Lopunny then turned to the one threatening Aipom and adding, "AND YOU RELEASE THAT NICE MONKEY!" the rabbit gulping and putting the switchblade away, quickly stepping away as Aipom took deep breaths, holding her tail hand against her heart.

"This is a one-on-one match!" Lopunny snapped, "He was just following the rules! I'm ashamed of each and every one of you!" the rabbit noticing Machoke was now in terrible condition as she took a deep breath, sighing, "I'm sorry, Machoke, I wanted this to be fair."

"It's okay, you didn't cause this," the boy replied as the rabbit walked toward the side of the ring saying, "Still, as much as I want to win, it would be unfair to win in this manner. As such, I'm going to forfeit," Machoke's eyes widening as he smiled warmly, saying, "Maybe we can fight again someday but under fair conditions," the rabbit smiling and replying, "I'd like that."

However, just as Lopunny was about to exit, Fiarrow spat, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" all going silent as the bird snapped, "YOU GOT AN EASY VICTORY HANDED TO YOU ON A SILVER PLATTER AND YOU'RE JUST GOING TO TOSS IT OUT!?"

Scyther stared in disbelief as the bird as he spat, "Lopunny, you've been saying constantly that you can't let the team down! You went all-out in your match with Gardevoir, even putting her in the hospital because you knew it was necessary to guarantee us a spot here in Tokyo, and you're gonna give that all up because of THIS!?"

Lopunny bit her lip, about to protest when the falcon added, "And don't tell me this is wrong! Think about what Machoke did to Heracross! Think about him lying in bed in the hospital right now!" Lopunny remarking, "But he deserved it!" Fiarrow remarking, "So what!? He learned his lesson, so everything should be okay between you now!? Are you gonna let his sacrifice go to waste!?"

However, Scyther could not stay silent anymore as she spat, "LOPUNNY, HE'S TRYING TO MESS WITH YOUR HEAD! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" Fiarrow retorting, "Are you saying you want us to lose the tournament!?" Scyther retorting, "That's not what I meant!" Fiarrow remarking sarcastically, "Oh, sure it isn't!"

However, while the two argued, Lopunny was now completely still. Machoke stared in confusion as the rabbit bit her lip, uttering, "He's right," the argument stopping as both stared at her.

"Did I hear that correctly?" Aipom asked as Lopunny let out a sigh, turning to Machoke with a serious look on her face and saying, "I made a promise that during the tournament, I would put my team above all else, that I would never give up or stop trying to win no matter what the circumstances!" Reika groaning, "Oh god, is this going where I think it's going?"

'Heracross is counting on the rest of us,' Lopunny thought, placing her hand against her chest, 'If I back out now, unfair advantage or not, I'll be letting everyone down. Sure, Scyther seems not to approve right now, but if I win, she'll be happy with my decision in the end, I'm sure of it.'

With that, the rabbit folded her arms and sighed, "Forgive me, Machoke," Machoke staring awkwardly at her and whimpering, "Oh no," Lopunny tucking her ears in while thinking, 'He might have a counterattack in mind, so I can't let him do that,' the rabbit then shouting, "DIZZY PUNCH!" sending both her ears hard into the boy's face.

Machoke stumbled back a bit, blood coming from his nostrils as his eyes were swirling, all going silent. No one could believe what they had seen. Lopunny, the best sportsman on her team, had just taken advantage of Machoke's weakened state with her best punching technique.

"MACHOKE!" Aipom screeched, "TRY TO OVERCOME THIS!" the boy trying desperately to stay up now as Lopunny took a deep breath, knowing it was time to end this as she charged toward the boy, the rabbits next to the ring applauding her.

However, just as the rabbit got close, Machoke immediately shook his head, snapping back to reality just in time to see her aiming a two-legged jump kick toward his chest. Seeing this, the boy instinctively grabbed her ankles and pulled upward, causing her to fall on the back of her head.

Then taking a deep breath, he gulped and said, "Sorry," Aipom remarking, "Don't apologize! This match is still going!" everyone else just confused by how quickly the boy had managed to overcome his dizziness.

Machoke simply nodded, just about to take advantage of his attack only for Lopunny to quickly send another ear punch into his face shouting, "DIZZY PUNCH!" Machoke's eyes once again swirling. This time the rabbit was not going to hesitate as she wrapped her ears around the boy and bounced high above the ring.

When she flipped him upside down, everyone knew what was going to happen next as Weedle thought, 'I'm sure this is the result most people would have wanted anyway,' one audience member barking, "THIS IS WRONG!" another adding, "YEAH, LOPUNNY WOULDN'T DO SOMETHING SO DISGRACEFUL!"

Lopunny's eyes widened as she had just mounted her ears on Machoke's feet, the rabbit thinking, 'Disgraceful?' one child crying out, "Why, bunny lady!? I thought you were good!"

Fiarrow simply rolled his eyes and remarked, "She's putting her friends first for the tournament! Once it's all over, she'll be back to her goodie-two-shoes nature, okay!?"

However, Lopunny ignored the words of the falcon as the protests from the crowd got to her the most. They were right, the actions she was taking right now; this was completely against her nature. There was no way she could accept an unearned victory like this.

With that in mind, the rabbit did not add to her attack when she noticed both she and Machoke were falling toward the canvas, Fiarrow smirking and thinking, 'Well, I'm kinda disappointed, but it looks like we're gonna win this either way,' only for Lopunny to shock everyone when she wrapped her ears around Machoke's ankles. Was she still going to use her Bunny Tornado?

It seemed that was not the case as the threw her ears upward so Machoke was now over her head, the rabbit allowing him to land on top of her when she made contact with the mat, cushioning the blow. Machoke quickly regained consciousness when this happened and blinked, his eyes wide with shock when he noticed he was now lying on top of Lopunny.

The boy quickly got up and exclaimed, "Sorry!" the rabbit smiling and replying, "It's okay, Machoke. I meant to do that," the crowd giving a slow clap before breaking out into heavy cheering, Fiarrow and Scyther both staring in absolute shock. Scyther was happy to see Lopunny do this, but it was still surprising.

Machoke's friends both had wide smiles on their faces as Machoke held out his hand to help Lopunny up. However, the rabbit shook her head and said, "No, we should end this like a true wrestling match," all going silent as Machoke winced, remarking, "What are you suggesting!?" the rabbit sitting upright and adding, "I want you to finish me off like any other opponent. If I'm going to let down my team, I may as well do it with grace and dignity."

Some audience members had tears in their eyes when they heard this, Machoke taking a deep breath and asking, "You're sure about this, right?" the rabbit nodding as Fiarrow gritted his teeth, barking, "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?"

Lopunny simply rolled her eyes and remarked, "Shut up, Fiarrow," all going silent as the falcon's eye twitched, Fiarrow not believing what he had just heard, Lopunny adding, "I'm not listening to you anymore. Honestly, I hope Scyther wipes the floor with you," the insect smiling and folding her arms, Fiarrow sticking his tongue out at her.

With that, Machoke walked over to the rabbit and took a deep breath, saying, "This is gonna hurt a lot, okay?" the rabbit nodding and replying, "I know."

With that, the boy grabbed her by the shoulders and used all his might to send her flying high into the air. He then proceeded to leap up to her level, flipping her upside-down and grabbing hold of not her arms but her ears this time. After that, he spread them out, locking them in place and shouted, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" sending her head hard into the canvas, however, he applied slightly less force than usual as he did not want to hurt her too much.

Either way, the rabbit found this satisfying enough as Machoke released her, allowing her body to collapse as Weedle took a deep breath, Nori ringing the bell and exclaiming, "AND ON THAT NOTE, MACHOKE WINS AND ADVANCES TO THE NEXT GEN BATTLE FINALS!" the crowd going wild as Machoke rose one fist in the air, a big smile on his face.

Even the rabbits, rather than being upset, simply gave Lopunny an army salute out of respect. Sure, they were the ones who complicated things in the first place, but they could not help but admire a rabbit who was willing to let herself lose for the sake of remaining good.

However, Machoke's concern for Lopunny quickly returned as he asked, "Are you okay?" the rabbit taking a deep breath and smiling before saying, "You went easy on me. Of course I'm okay," both laughing as the boy helped the rabbit up, Lopunny now being the first hero not to end up in a hospital after losing.

Fiarrow simply gritted his teeth but said nothing as right now, he was more focused on his match with Scyther. Despite being her teammate, he was not going to hold back and neither was she. Whatever the reason, the two were feeling rather cold toward each other right now.

Even so, Aipom was feeling very relieved as she gave Machoke thumbs up with her tail hand, everyone else in the crowd really happy to see everything turn out so well. While the other matches so far had ended surprisingly bitter for fights between heroes, this one ended happily with both sides gladly accepting the results.

At the hospital, Gardevoir was watching this with light tears in her eyes thinking, 'I knew you could fight the pressure, Lopunny,' Machoke helping the rabbit exit the ring as Scyther smiled, walking over to her and saying, "You did the right thing."

"Oh, god, enough with the mushy crap already!" Fiarrow groaned, everyone turning to him as Scyther frowned, the falcon adding, "You just got done with a match, a really important one at that! You shouldn't be acting so casually about this!"

The falcon then pointed at Machoke saying, "The way you treat your victory like nothing makes me sick," before redirecting his finger toward Lopunny and adding, "And the way you handed him victory is even worse," Scyther retorting, "Schweigen!"

All went silent as the bug added, "Focus on our match, kollege," Scyther exiting the area as Fiarrow simply folded his arms, grumbling curses while exiting the area himself. The bug did have a point as their match was only four hours from now.

With that, Lopunny sighed, "I'm really starting to reconsider being on their team," Machoke nodding as Aipom asked, "Hey, Machoke, there's something I wanna know. How did you snap out of your dizziness so quickly?"

Machoke blinked and replied, "Oh, it's because I got dizzy a lot when I was a kid, so I'm used to it," all going silent until Aipom sighed, "Why did I expect anything else?"

And with that, the friends headed off toward the location of the next match, Lopunny feeling like she had enough strength to join them. While the fight between Machoke and Lopunny had gone well, no one knew what to expect from a match between Scyther and Fiarrow, especially with the two feeling so bitter right now.


	22. Chapter 22

With four hours to spare before Scyther and Fiarrow were to square off, everyone decided to make the best with the time they had. In fact, this was especially a good time for a break as this match was taking place in a theme park that had come to Tokyo. In fact, the owner of the park had agreed to make this a special event in an area specifically preserved for live shows such as clown acts and the like.

Aipom decided to let Machoke have a little fun as a reward for his two victories. She also figured she may as well have a break from trying to nurture him as well, the monkey actually acting like a real kid. Sure, she tried to think about important matters and stick to her guns, but after a few minutes in the theme park, she was actually having fun.

The first thing she did was buy herself banana flavoured cotton candy, munching it down without any concern for how much of it got on her face. Afterwards, she decided to try her hand at the hammer machine, of course using her tail hand to hold the object in question. Despite her short stature, that tail hand of hers was tough and as a result, she managed to get to the bell with ease, winning herself a stuffed toy based off of her. Needless to say, seeing that she was popular enough to have merchandise based off of her was much more exciting than winning the prize.

After that, she simply took a seat on a bench, hugging her new plush toy and squealing, "Alright, Aipom Two, what would you like to do today!?" the monkey then using only one half of her mouth to reply, "I suggest coming up with new ways to train Machoke," before adding, "Oh, that's what I was thinking!"

"Oh my god, this is just precious," came a familiar voice from behind Aipom, her eyes going wide as she turned and noticed Keiko there, her eyes darting back and forth before she whistled innocently, Keiko laughing and replying, "Oh, come on, you're ten. There's nothing wrong with acting like it."

"I know," Aipom replied with a sigh before adding, "It's just that, well, I've always been mature for my age," Keiko shrugging and replying, "If it helps, this day and age is different. Nowadays, it's considered acceptable for people in their thirties to collect toys," Aipom's eyes widening.

Keiko then proceeded to take a seat next to the monkey, saying, "You know, I think you've done a good job training Machoke. He's certainly doing a good job," Aipom saying, "Thanks, but I did next to nothing in the matches so far."

Keiko simply shrugged and replied, "You still gave him some useful advice. At least that's something," Aipom nodding before saying, "Still, I really hope Scyther ends up being his opponent in the finals," Keiko raising an eyebrow as the monkey added, "I don't know what it is, but there's something about Fiarrow that really rubs me the wrong way. It's normal for Machoke to be scared of an opponent, but that guy even terrifies me. After seeing his match with Blaziken, I'm not even sure if I know a surefire way to beat him."

"Well, I'm sure even if you can't think of something, he might," Keiko replied, rubbing the monkey's head and adding, "Just because you can't give him advice all the time doesn't mean you're helpless," Aipom smiling and replying, "Thank you so much, Keiko."

All the while, Machoke was walking around the park looking for Reika, sighing, "Well, great, I'm in a theme park and have no one to enjoy it with," Lopunny noticing him and waving with a big smile, Machoke walking over and asking, "Hey, Lopunny, have you seen Reika?"

"Can't say I have," the rabbit replied as Machoke groaned, "Aw, man, I wanted to invite her on a ride through the tunnel of love," Lopunny staring silently as she asked, "Oh my god, you have a crush on Reika?" Machoke nodding.

With that, the rabbit put on a serious look before exclaiming, "Alright, I now have my mission for the next hour! I will help you and Reika hook up!" Machoke smiling and replying, "Thanks. You're a real pal," the two pounding their fists together.

During this time, Fiarrow was looking around thinking, 'Scyther and his mommy have probably gone off to train somewhere. Well, I'm not wasting this opportunity,' the falcon noticing a big elevator ride as he noticed a couple of girls standing in line, figuring this might be a good opportunity to earn himself some popularity.

"Hey there, ladies," he said as the girls turned, one of them saying, "Oh, you're that guy who beat Blaziken yesterday, right?" Fiarrow nodding and asking, "Do you girls wanna go on that ride?" the two blinking as he added, "Cause I got some extra tickets and I don't think it would be fair to let you waste yours like that."

Needless to say, this was more than enough to get the girls to come with him as he paid for all three to go on, the owner saying, "I am required to warn you that despite the simple concept, this has been regarded as the scariest ride in the park," Fiarrow laughing and remarking, "Please, I laugh at fear!" the man shrugging and letting them go on.

The elevator very slowly rose to the very top, which was one-hundred-and-ninety feet above the ground, Fiarrow gulping a bit as the elevator dropped, the falcon actually more terrified than the others riding with him, which was especially strange seeing as he could fly. However, when the elevator finally stopped, he had his look of pride back on, exclaiming, "You call that scary!?" one of the girls whispering, "He was totally freaked out of his mind," the other replying, "So I wasn't the only one who saw it."

However, while Fiarrow walked off to do something else, a certain dog wearing street clothes was standing next to a wall, watching the falcon who seemed completely oblivious to him being there. Just what was it about this guy that made Lucario act like he did around him?

Machoke and Lopunny had been searching for a while when they finally noticed Reika with her friends, Lopunny smiling and bounding over before saying, "Hey, guys!" the three turning as Cici said, "Oh, hi Lopunny," Machoke walking over and asking, "What are you gals up to?"

"We're gonna try our hands at the dart game," Reika replied, "Cici really wants that stuff panda," Machoke seeing an opportunity as he grinned, thinking, 'Darts? This should be easy for a guy as awesome as me. I'll win the prize and Reika will love me,' the boy volunteering as they decided to give him the first go.

The owner of the stand happily thanked him for his ticket as the boy sent his first dart forward only for it to miss. The second one ended up missing as well as he fumed, thinking, 'Alright, I'm totally going to hit one of these targets, or so help me God!' the boy actually managing to hit one as the girls clapped, Machoke raising his arms in the air shouting, "I DID IT!"

"Congratulations," the owner replied with a big smile before handing him a plush toy of Aipom, the boy blinking and asking, "Wait, Aipom's popular?" the man nodding as the boy barked, "Hey, wait a minute! Aren't I supposed to be able to pick my own prize!?" the man pointing at a sign next to him stating that only those who hit three targets could choose. One or two resulted in an Aipom plush.

Reika patted Machoke on the shoulder saying, "There, there," before stepping up and hitting three targets with ease, Cici and Tsuya applauding her as she gave Cici the panda she wanted.

Machoke held his Aipom plush up to his cheek and asked, "What do you think of those rules?" before saying in a bad attempt at a female voice, "Well, I think he's an honest man doing his job," then sighing, "You're such a goodie-two-shoes," Lopunny snickering at this.

After that, Machoke was about to suggest the tunnel of love when Reika noticed a big roller coaster, her eyes sparkling as she exclaimed, "Let's all go on that!" Cici trembling as Tsuya sighed, "I think Cici would rather sit this one out," Reika nodding and replying, "Okay, but who's gonna use the extra ticket?" Lopunny bounding over and squealing, "Me!" then looking at Machoke, she added, "He's coming too."

With that, Lopunny and Tsuya were in the back seat, Tsuya asking, "So, any reason you specifically chose to sit next to me?" Lopunny hushing her and pointing at Machoke and Reika next to each other, Machoke saying, "This is gonna be so much fun. I love roller coasters."

Shortly after the boy said this, he thought, 'Oh god, I'm totally going to die!' the car slowly rising up the ramp as he then thought, 'Hey, this actually isn't so bad. Maybe I should go on these more-' only for his mind to get cut off when the car reached the top and started going down the railway, Machoke crying out in terror.

The others were screaming with delight as a swarm of flies just happened to come by and fly into Machoke's mouth, the boy quickly spitting them out only for them to fly back in. Needless to say, this was not a fun experience for him, but hopefully this would help him win Reika's heart.

After that, the group headed off to find more rides seeing as they still had time to enjoy themselves, Aipom noticing them along the way while Machoke tried his best to hide how terrified he was after going on so many. The monkey waved happily with her tail hand, still holding her plush as the others came over to her.

"Oh, you got an Aipom plush too?" Machoke asked, holding his up as the monkey blushed, asking, "What did I do to get so famous?" Machoke remarking, "You said it, not me."

"We've been going on rides for the past while," Reika said, Cici uttering, "Except me," the girl adding, "You wanna join us, Aipom?" the monkey's eyes sparkling before she looked at a pocket watch she had brought with her and sighed, "Can't. We only got an hour left," Machoke replying, "That sounds like plenty of time."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I want me some good seats," Reika said as Tsuya and Cici nodded, Machoke sighing and following close behind, disappointed not to have gone with Reika through the tunnel of love, though a part of him felt she would have declined anyway.

With all said and done, the group headed to the area where all the shows took place, luckily being the first to show up. Seemed Reika and Aipom had the right idea for right after they did, more people arrived.

The person taking tickets smiled when he noticed Aipom, Machoke and Lopunny before saying, "I know who you three are. You and a total of three guests of your choice get free admission and front-row seats," Machoke blinking and saying, "Wow, that's convenient," Lopunny shrugging and gladly accepting the offer.

While heading to the area where the seats were, Lopunny briefly noticed Scyther training in an area usually meant for performers to rehearse, the rabbit smiling and waving as the insect briefly turned to her and gave her a quick smile. However, she was too focused on her training to do much else while Scizor was giving instructions.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are you and Scyther friends?" Reika asked, Lopunny turning to her with confusion as the girl added, "She hardly ever talks to you or even spends time with you," the rabbit replying, "Well, it's because we both helped each other out once."

Lopunny remembered a time when she was not much of a fighter. Despite all her best efforts, she could not do a thing. Because of this, she felt like she would never graduate and would stuck taking the same lessons for the rest of her life. In fact, the only one who ever talked to her was Heracross and every now and then, he would try to help her improve, but unfortunately, he was not particularly good at this so it was not as helpful as both would have liked.

All the while, Scyther was performing excellently and was the envy of the class. Even Fiarrow, back when going under the alias of Golurk, saw her as an equal and even challenged her to sparring matches, the insect seeing him as the only other student who could give her a decent workout.

However, one night when it was very late, Scyther broke her leg while practising on her own. While this was nowhere near final exam time, she did not wish for the other students to see her in this state. And that was when Lopunny just happened to be in that very area, the rabbit quietly sobbing.

Scyther overheard this and tried to slink away undetected only for her leg to let out as she fell hard on her face, Lopunny looking up and blinking. The rabbit turned and asked, "Who's there?" wiping her tears away with her ears to hide the fact that she had been crying.

Scyther's eyes were wide open as Lopunny ran over, immediately asking her what was wrong. It took a while, but the insect came to trust the rabbit when she promised not to breathe a word of her injury to anyone. And as it just so happened, the rabbit knew of a way to mend a broken leg as she simply snapped the bones back into place.

After that, the two were sitting together as Scyther said, "I notice you've been struggling a lot in class," Lopunny sighing, "Yeah, I think the academy made a mistake when they picked me for this job."

The insect shook her head and replied, "Nein. I've seen those ears of yours in action and I think they could make for a very useful weapon," the rabbit's eyes going wide as the insect added, "I normally try to focus on my training only, but you saved me from embarrassment, so I owe you one."

"She trained me during free time," Lopunny explained with a small smile on her face, "She was a very good teacher, and now I know why she knew so much," Aipom nodding, knowing exactly what the rabbit meant as she added, "In no time at all, I was a pro, actually able to fight on her level. I felt honoured to be her first real friend."

"So how is she friends with the others?" Tsuya added, the rabbit replying, "I think I had some sort of influence on her because she became much more social after spending time with me," Machoke smiling and stating, "And all this time, I thought Scyther was a robot," Reika smacking him on the back of the head, Aipom saying, "Thank you."

"Still, I find it odd that Scyther would be so mad at Fiarrow," Reika said, Machoke suggesting, "Probably because he lied, right?" Lopunny replying, "I don't think she's really made at him. I think she's just focused on the match," Machoke remarking, "Better tell that to Fiarrow, because after that outburst of his, I don't think he feels the same."

Lopunny shook her head and explained, "Even when he was known as Golurk, he's always been kind of hot-headed. I think he was just serious about the match too. He just doesn't know how to express it, you know?" Aipom replying, "Well, if you say so," the monkey still getting bad vibes from the falcon.

Soon enough, the group came to the event location as the seats were filled. Lucario was among the crowd this time around, only he was seated way in the back in the hopes that no one would see him there. But if he knew something important about Fiarrow, why did he not tell anyone yet?

Whatever the reason was, it would have to wait as Nori was once again seated, only since this was a theme park, she was announcing from an area high above the ring protected by a big glass window, the woman exclaiming, "Welcome, everyone, to B block's second round of The Next Gen Battle! This time, both competitors are representing Team Next Gen, and whoever wins this match will face Machoke in the finals!"

The crowd was getting restless now as the woman exclaimed, "In the red corner, weight fifty-six kilograms and hailing from Germany, the strong and fast daughter of Scizor, Scyther!" the crowd going wild when the insect once again performed some aerial ballet with the help her her wings and landing against the ring with one knee down, a fierce look in her eyes.

Scizor stood on the side of the ring with her arms folded, a smile on her face. She was truly confident that her daughter could win this.

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "a very surprising opponent indeed! We once thought he was a slow but powerful golem, but now he's a fast and ferocious falcon! Having lost a lot of weight from removing his disguise and now weighing at twenty-four-and-a-half kilograms and still hailing from Rome, Fiarrow!"

All went silent when they noticed a silhouette of the falcon high above the ring and flapping in front of the sun's gaze. This was good timing as it would only be an hour or so until the sun started to set, Fiarrow spinning like a drill while flying down toward the ring. After some more impressive stunts, he landed gracefully on the turnbuckle with only one foot, the crowd applauding him while some girls in the crowd squealed excitedly at such a cool entrance.

"Well, I'm glad you at least decided to show up," Fiarrow said with a smirk, Scyther giving him a cold look while saying nothing, Fiarrow adding, "Oh, by the way, I thought it would be fun to add a little something to up the stakes a bit," then turning to Weedle and adding, "that is if it's alright with you, Oldie with Oldstein."

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," Weedle grumbled, "but fine, as long as it's not another violation of the rules," the falcon smirking and replying, "Oh, don't you worry, Pops, I actually studied the rulebook prior to this match and I know for a fact that this sort of thing is allowed."

At that moment, everyone stared in confusion as a group of mechanics entered the area, Fiarrow saying, "That's right, boys, remove all the turnbuckles," all going silent as Scyther asked, "What are you doing?" the falcon remarking, "Oh, you'll see soon enough. It's a surprise so incredible, it's shocking."

"Is it just me or did he just make a bad foreshadowing pun?" Machoke asked, Aipom replying, "That's the impression I got too," Lopunny uttering, "Surely it can't be anything too extreme. I mean, this is a fight between friends, right?"

After the mechanics removed the turnbuckles, they left the ropes in the ring before bringing in four replacements. However, these poles were blue and he what looked like big light bulbs on the top of them, the mechanics attaching the ropes to these new ones. Fiarrow grinned as one man pressed a button, the bulbs lighting up as a sound entered the area, the sound of electricity flowing to be exact.

"Wait, I don't get it," Machoke uttered, "All of this was for a light show?" Scyther blinking and saying, "I know you're big on theatrics, but I find it hard to believe even you would go this far," the falcon chuckling and remarking, "Do you honestly believe that's it?" the bird then pointing at one of the mechanics and saying, "You, touch it," pointing at the rope as the man gulped.

"Remember, I'm paying you guys to do whatever I want, so go on!" the falcon exclaimed, the man turning to his co-workers, all of them shaking their heads and signalling him to do it as he slowly made his way over to the side of the ring.

The man took a deep breath and slowly reached for the rope, gently touching it with his finger when suddenly, a burst of electricity came out, the man backing up and breathing heavily as he felt lucky to be alive, his entire hand now covered in burn marks. Fiarrow simply laughed, more amused than anything else as he stated, "Some people will do anything for money! It's priceless!"

Now the crowd was actually shocked and even a bit frightened. Machoke just about wet himself as he whimpered, "This guy's a monster!" Lopunny barking, "Fiarrow, why would you endanger your own ally like that!?" the falcon remarking, "Relax, we heroes can handle this sort of thing better than humans."

While that was certainly true, this was still going too far. Even Scyther looked scared, though she quickly covered it up by making it look like she was okay with it. However, her look of confidence faded when she heard the sound of someone whimpering behind her.

The insect turned, her eyes going wide when she noticed that someone was Scizor. The insect was trembling all over, Scyther asking, "Lehrer, what's wrong?" Aipom's eyes widening as she gasped, "Oh my god, I think I just figured out Fiarrow's plan!" Lopunny asking, "What?"

The monkey took a deep breath and explained, "See, long ago, before Scizor and Greninja became allies, the two of them fought in a legendary match. The gimmick was that the ropes were releasing electricity so whoever touched them would get a bad electric shock through her veins. Scizor did her best, pulling out all the stops, but just as it looked like she was going to win, Greninja managed to force her into the ropes. At that moment, it was all over. Scizor could do nothing while Greninja wiped the floor with her."

"So Fiarrow knew that Scizor would get scared," Reika uttered, "thus rendering her unable to give advice."

"FIARROW, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" Lopunny snapped, "I THOUGHT YOU WERE OUR FRIEND!" Fiarrow remarking, "Just cause I'm your friend doesn't mean I'm not gonna take this match seriously! I wanna be the one to face Machoke in the finals, and if I have to resort to dirty tactics to do it, I will!"

Even the girls he had treated to a free ride earlier looked absolutely offended by this as the falcon added, "There's a reason I fight so aggressively, and it's because villains fight aggressively. If we weren't willing to fight dirty every now and then, villains would walk all over us! They wouldn't stop to think about the rules and how their tactics are wrong! They'd go through with it because it's getting them results!"

The crowd was now at a crossroads. On one hand, such a tactic really was deplorable, especially with the way this seemed like a form of bullying Scizor, but on the other hand, he was right. Most villains did not fight fair and heroes had to do whatever it took to beat them.

Even so, Lopunny was still angry at the bird right now. She may have forgiven Heracross for his selfish views earlier, but she could not forgive Fiarrow for something so mean-spirited, so evil. She could no longer regard him as a friend no matter what happened.

'Dammit,' Lucario thought, shaking in his seat, 'Is there any level you won't sink to, you bastard?'

Even so, Weedle simply cleared his throat and stated, "Well, I already gave my approval, and like he said, this is not against the rules! As such, this shall be an electric ring match!" Scyther taking a deep breath as Scizor was still trembling, her student smiling and saying, "Don't worry, lehrer. I can hold my own."

With that, the bell rang as Scizor immediately sprinted toward Fiarrow without a moment's hesitation. The falcon's eyes went wide as the insect proceeded to tackle him hard, trying to shove him into the rope as he laughed, saying, "Oh, you don't mess around, do you?"

With that in mind, Fiarrow simply spread out his legs, holding his ground before remarking, "Unfortunately for you, I'm a lot tougher than my weight would have you believe," the bird then gripping Scyther's shoulders and flapping his wings, taking to the air and carrying her toward the ropes on the other side.

However, Scyther was ready for this as the two closed in, the insect quickly twisting her own arms, freeing herself from Fiarrow's hold. The falcon's eyes went wide as she grabbed onto his shoulder, propelling herself over him and getting behind him. With that, the bug kicked him hard in the back and sending him flying belly-first into the ropes, a burst of electricity covering his body as he cried out in pain.

The crowd went wild as Nori spat, "FIARROW SET UP THE ELECTRIC RING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SCYTHER, BUT IT SEEMS HIS SECRET WEAPON HAS ALREADY BEEN USED AGAINST HIM!" Machoke shouting, "WAY TO GO, SCYTHER!" Lopunny adding, "SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS!"

Fiarrow fell forward onto the mat when Scyther proceeded to crawl onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling hard on him. So far, things were looking really good. It was just as Nori said. In no time at all, Fiarrow's secret weapon was already being turned against him.


	23. Chapter 23

This was truly an outstanding turn of events. Not even two minutes into the match and Fiarrow was already on the receiving end of his own dirty tactics. Not only that, but Scyther now had him in a powerful submission hold. Had her victory already been guaranteed?

"You will pay for hurting my lehrer like that!" Scyther grunted, tightening the hold as Fiarrow simply chuckled wickedly, asking, "You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?"

The insect's eyes went wide as the falcon proceeded to propel his wings up against her. It took a few seconds, but he eventually managed to force her off of his back as he took a deep breath, getting up and saying, "I'll admit, I'm actually impressed. I didn't think a goodie-two-shoes like you would have the guts to use the electric ring against me."

All went silent until the falcon added, "Unfortunately, that won't be enough to save you!" as he spread out his wings, taking to the sky. Scyther scowled and readied herself, holding up a defensive stance. Whatever he had planned, she would have to be ready.

After a few seconds, Fiarrow flew down toward her with his talons pointed outward. The insect simply held up her hands in front of her face to block it only for the falcon to propel himself forward just enough to strike the top of her head, Scyther's eyes going wide.

After that, Fiarrow flapped behind her and lit his foot on fire asking, "Alright, now what was it Blaziken called this attack again?" tapping his chin before shrugging and adding, "Oh, whatever, that attack name was lame anyway," before shouting, "ROUNDHOUSE INFERNO!"

With that, he spun his body around just as Scyther was about to recover and sent his burning foot into the back of her head. Everyone stared in shock as Machoke asked, "How did he do that?" Aipom replying, "Don't forget, he's a fire type too. There are quite a number of fire types capable of lighting themselves on fire."

"It's kind of funny when you think about it," Fiarrow said, landing on the mat while folding his arms, "People treat that Blaze Kick like it can only be used by Blaziken's family, but there are plenty of fire type heroes and villains out there who are able to use it too. This is nothing special."

Scyther shook the pain off of her head and turned toward the falcon who smirked and added, "Though personally, I prefer my own moves to those of that has-been," Fiarrow then charging at Scyther before she could attempt a counterattack and rammed his elbow hard into her gut, sending her back as she was just inches away from hitting the ropes.

All went silent as the insect just barely managed to screech to a halt in time to avoid taking in an electric shock. She breathed a sigh of relief, the insect actually having been legitimately frightened back there.

And all the while, Scizor was still freaked out beyond compare and down on her knees, looking at the ground. Right now, it seemed that Scyther needed guidance but was unable to get it and it was all Fiarrow's fault. The insect was always taught not to seek vengeance, but right now she really wanted to make Fiarrow pay for his actions.

With that, the insect took a deep breath and charged toward the falcon once again. Fiarrow simply chuckled and said, "You're being awful rash, Scyther," before flapping his wings and lifting himself off the mat. But just as he was about to do something else, Scyther upped her speed just enough to catch up to him and grab onto his ankles, the falcon's eyes going wide as she threw her arms downward, slamming his back hard into the canvas.

The crowd went wild as Scyther grunted, "Your viewpoint is wrong!" the insect then latching onto his arm, wrapping her legs around his neck for a triangle hold, the crowd cheering even louder.

"YEAH, GO SCYTHER!" Lopunny squealed from the crowd before sighing, "I swore I wouldn't play favourites, but right now, I really want Scyther to knock that smug look off of Fiarrow's face," Reika patting her on the shoulder and replying, "Don't worry, we all do."

However, Fiarrow did not look the least bit intimidated by the position he was in. Everyone was in absolute shock as the falcon spread out the wing closest to Scyther while saying, "Scyther, you may be fast, but do you honestly think those scrawny little twigs you call arms are enough to hurt me!?"

"SCYTHER, LET GO OF HIM!" Machoke spat, but it was too late as Fiarrow whacked the insect in the back of the head with his wing, her eyes widening. However, she simply ignored the pain and tightened her hold shouting, "NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, I'M NOT LETTING GO!"

"You're either really gutsy or incredibly stupid," Fiarrow remarked, once again ignoring the pain as he used his wings to push himself back up, the crowd staring in absolute shock, Nori wincing and uttering, "Under most circumstances, a move like that would cause the victim even more pain."

"That's true, lady, but I'm not exactly normal," Fiarrow stated with a smirk as he slowly headed toward the ropes, all going silent again when the falcon positioned the arm Scyther was clinging to so her back was now facing the electrified props.

"SCYTHER, I'M SERIOUS, LET GO!" Machoke spat, Aipom adding, "He's not kidding, Scyther!" the insect ignoring them and barking, "SHUT UP! I ONLY LISTEN TO THE ADVICE OF MY LEHRER!"

Unfortunately, this proved to be a huge mistake as Fiarrow sent his arm downward, slamming Scyther hard into the ropes. Electricity coursed through her veins as her eyes widened, the insect crying out in absolute pain. Even with her spirit, she could not hold on any longer as she released her hold on Fiarrow and quickly shifted away from the ropes, taking many deep breaths, now having a few burn marks on her.

When Fiarrow noticed Machoke and his friends actually panicking, her laughed and asked, "Hey, Machoke, why do you care so much about Scyther's health!? In case you've forgotten, whoever wins this match is going to be your opponent, and neither of us would ever dare go easy on you!"

"He is right about that," Aipom uttered, Machoke remarking, "I don't care. I at least have respect for Scyther."

"I WILL BE THE ONE TO FACE HIM IN THE FINALS!" Scyther spat from behind Fiarrow, the falcon's eyes widening as she managed to charge behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist with a look of fury in her eyes. She no longer saw this as a match between heroes and now looked at Fiarrow as though he was a villain to protect the people from.

With that in mind, the insect lifted the falcon up for a German Suplex, the crowd cheering wildly. But just as the move was about to connect, Fiarrow smirked and said, "Nice try, but that's not gonna work on me!" the falcon then stretching his wings out and placing the back ends firmly against the mat thus stopping himself from making contact with it.

Scyther was caught off-guard as she loosed her grip just enough for Fiarrow to pry himself out of her hold. But it did not end there as he latched his ankles around her neck, placing his hands firmly against the mat. With that, the falcon lifted Scyther up, sending her hard into the mat with a frankensteiner.

Just as she insect was about to get up, Fiarrow took to the skies and laughed wickedly, the falcon saying, "I hate to take advantage of you like this, but I've known how to defeat you since that one day in Hero School, and I think you know which one!" all going silent as Scyther gritted her teeth.

Both remembered that day during the third week. While still known as Golurk, Fiarrow had just finished a sparring match with Scyther as he asked, "Say, Scyther, old buddy, I gotta ask you something?" the insect raising an eyebrow as the falcon added, "How come you never use your wings in battle? You hardly use them as it is."

Scyther took a deep breath and replied, "It was something my mother taught me. She told me that a true fighter should not need to rely on the power of flight to defeat the enemy. I'm strong enough that I don't need them."

Back in present time, Fiarrow laughed wickedly and said, "Bet you wish you hadn't stuck with that belief now, eh? Admit it, unless you can bring yourself to fly, you'll never be able to fight me on common ground."

However, Scyther did not seem the least bit fazed as she retorted, "That's what you think!" crouching down before propelling herself high off of the mat, Fiarrow rather shocked when the insect actually managed to reach his level without using her wings.

With that, the proceeded to kick him hard in the chest before flipping him so his back was facing her, the crowd cheering wildly. After that, the insect wrapped her arms around him before leaning backward and shouting, "FLYING HAMMER!"

The crowd's cheering died down when they noticed Scyther had failed to pull Fiarrow back with her, the falcon simply flapping his wings while saying, "Nice try, Scyther, but there's one problem with a move like this being used on me," before turned his head and flashing her a creepy grin, stating, "My muscles are much bigger than yours!"

Scyther's eyes went wide as Fiarrow proceeded to grab hold of Scyther's wrists. Afterwards, he soared backward, flipping his body over just enough to Scyther's skull to be facing the ropes. The insect tried her hardest to let go, but thanks to Fiarrow's grip, she could not and thus was sent head-first into the top rope, electricity coursing through her veins as she cried out in pain.

"SCYTHER!" Machoke spat, his eyes and mouth wide open while Lopunny closed her eyes. However, Scizor had a different reaction to this. Seeing her student, no, her daughter in this much pain because of a lack of guidance was too much for her to bare as she breathed in, took a deep breath and put on a serious look, rising to her feet much to everyone's surprise.

"SCYTHER!" the bug snapped, "IGNORE THE PAIN AND KICK HIM IN THE BACK!" Scyther nodding before bending her knees and sending her feet hard into Fiarrow's back, his eyes widening as he flew forward a bit, letting go of Scyther and dropping her on the mat.

Everyone was still in shock as Scizor said, "Sorry for not helping you sooner, mein daughter, but rest assured, I am now over my fear and will help you win this match!" Fiarrow gritting his teeth and thinking, 'Damn, there goes that plan. Oh well, even with that old bat's advice, she can't possibly beat me.'

Scyther had a big smile on her face, the insect beyond relieved right now. Hopefully, Scizor's advice could be of use because she needed it right now.

With that, the falcon flew toward Scyther again as Scizor exclaimed, "His form is sloppy! Dodge to the right!" Scyther doing just that as Fiarrow's eyes widened, the falcon flying face-first into the ropes as electricity coursed through him.

"Now he should be weak enough for a Suplex to work!" Scizor stated as Scyther nodded and ran behind the bird, wrapping her arms around him and lifting him up. Just as Scizor had predicted, Fiarrow was too shaken up from the electric shock to respond as the back of his neck hit the canvas hard.

The crowd went wild once more, Machoke shouting, "Wow! Scizor is so boss!" Aipom nodding and replying, "It's like you once said; people move forward by seeking guidance when they're stuck."

Fiarrow rose back to his feet, breathing a bit as he thought, 'Damn, I underestimated these two. Scizor helps Scyther think more logically and this makes it easier for her to get the better of me. I need to find another way to break them apart,' his eyes then going wide as he had the perfect plan.

"I'll admit, Scyther, your mom's a good teacher," Fiarrow said with a smirk, "but do you really think she's trying to help you?" all going silent as Reika asked, "What's he trying to do?"

Strangely enough, this actually got Scyther thinking as she had no idea how to respond to this, Scizor slapping her pincers against the side of the ring and shouting, "Of course I am! What kind of mother doesn't take care of her own daughter!?" Scyther nodding and saying, "Exactly."

"Oh, come on, you just let her do the talking for you," Fiarrow remarked with a laugh before adding, "That's all you are, Scyther. You're a puppet living in your mom's shadow," Scyther remarking, "Nein! That's not true!"

"Oh, come on, you were a failure when you fought on your own!" Fiarrow retorted, "Once Scizor started pulling your strings, you were able to get out of that bind, and you know what? I think that's exactly what she sees you as," Scyther blinking and asking, "What do you mean?"

Scizor gritted her teeth as the falcon stated, "Think about it. While your mom may have been famous, she lost all purpose when evil was vanquished. She had no other skills until your father entered her life, and after he died, she lost everything and was back to square one."

Scyther stared as Scizor bit her lower lip, actually having trouble arguing with this while Fiarrow added, "However, she was also pregnant at the time, so she saw an opportunity to get back into the spotlight."

All went silent until Machoke uttered, "Is he implying what I think he is?" Lopunny gritting her teeth and grumbling, "He's despicable! I can't believe I used to call him a friend!"

Scyther simply stared in absolute shock as Fiarrow explained, "The day you were born, she immediately realized she could use you to get back the fame that she had lost. You would become an awesome hero while she would get the credit for training you. It was a brilliant plan, and because you're so naive, she knew you would never catch onto it!"

Scyther trembled as Scizor snapped, "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! HE'S LYING! I ALWAYS GAVE YOU THE OPTION TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT COURSE, REMEMBER!?" Scyther nodding and replying, "Ja, that is true," Fiarrow letting out a big laugh before retorting, "That was to trick you into thinking she actually cared about your well-being! She knew deep down inside, you would never say no, so she simply told you it would be okay so you'd never catch onto the fact that she was using you!"

Scizor glared at Fiarrow and spat, "Are you going to believe every word that comes from his beak!?" Scyther retorting, "ACH TUNG!" the crowd gasping when the insect turned to her mother and retorted, "Everything he has just told me makes sense, mother! Every time I'd fail to do something, you always scolded me!"

"I was giving you constructive criticism to help you get better!" Scizor remarked, Scyther barking, "Then why did you always raise your voice, huh!? You've always been telling me what to do and how to fight, never allowing me my own style! I always had to follow yours!"

"ENOUGH!" Lopunny snapped, Scyther turning to face her as she exclaimed, "Scyther, think about what you're saying! You're talking about your own mother here, the one who shaped you into such a great fighter!" Scyther retorting, "ACH TUNG! YOU'RE JUST TAKING HER SIDE!"

"What can we do?" Machoke asked, Aipom replying, "I'm not sure. Scyther looks really lost right now," Fiarrow grinning and saying, "That's right, stop following her and fight like you wanna."

"I don't even know if I can trust you after the way you lied to us for so long!" Scyther retorted, Fiarrow's eyes widening as she lashed out her blade from the bottom of her right arm. However, much to the crowd's surprise, another one emerged from her left arm.

With that, the insect sprinted toward Fiarrow and spat, "ARM SCHWERT!" sending both blades across his chest in an X formation as the crowd cheered wildly, Nori exclaiming, "And Scyther's advantage continues as she lands her most powerful attack into Fiarrow's chest! How can he possibly move after that!?"

"Well, at least things are looking favourable," Machoke uttered, "somewhat," only for Scizor to shout, "THAT WAS BAD FORM!"

All went silent as Scizor sighed, "The attack hit, sure, but it did not do as well as it cut have. You need to take more care," Scyther retorting, "I'm not listening to you anymore! From now on, I'm fighting my own way! I'm going to become the famous hero, not you!"

Scizor's eyes widened as Fiarrow chuckled wickedly, everyone gasping. How could he still be moving after such a devastating attack? Perhaps there was something to what Scizor had said. That should have knocked him out."

The falcon continued to chuckle before saying, "Well said, Scyther, well said. Perhaps I had you pegged all wrong. You're not the puppet I thought you were," no one even knowing how to react to this as Fiarrow added, "Even so, that precious Arm Schwert of yours isn't as strong as you think it is."

Scyther stared in confusion as Fiarrow placed his claws against the top edges of the cuts, pulling on them as the audience winced in disgust, Nori stating, "Unbelievable. Fiarrow is stretching out his cuts and acting as if it means nothing. Is he a monster?"

Scyther simply fumed and spat, "FINE, I'LL JUST FINISH YOU OFF WITH THIS NEXT ONE!" charging at the falcon and shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!"

However, this time Fiarrow was ready as he knelt backward, using his wings to hold himself up as he send his feet into the insect's arms, locking them in place. Everyone stared in absolute shock as the falcon snickered, saying, "Scyther, I'll admit, you are a good fighter, but let's face it, you're not even close to my level. The only reason you ever did so good when we were sparring was because I wasn't using my full power. I was holding back to keep up my guise, but now that the world knows who I am, I have no need to hold back."

With that, the falcon knelt back and lifted Scyther up, delivering a different kind of frankensteiner and slamming her head against the mat. Afterwards, he said, "Your biggest problem isn't that your style is weak, it's that you always hold back. You never use your wings and like everyone else, you're afraid to fight dirty! I've been using all kinds of underhanded tactics while still not breaking a single rule and look where it's gotten me!"

"You're wrong!" Scyther spat as Fiarrow took full advantage of this and grabbed her tongue, pulling on it and laughing maniacally. Machoke stuck out his own tongue with a disturbed look on his face shouting, "That's just cruel!" Weedle sighing, "I agree, but he's right, he still hasn't broken a single rule."

To make matters worse, Fiarrow actually lifted Scyther up with her tongue and hurled her toward the ropes, the insect once again hitting them and taking in the electricity. The crowd was not sure what to think as the falcon slowly approached Scyther. After all the damage she had taken in up to this point, she could no longer continue as Fiarrow lifted her up, wrapping his arms around her.

"SCYTHER, NO!" Scizor spat, tears filling up her eyes as Scyther's own eyes widened, the insect thinking, 'Tears?'

"You have to believe me!" Scizor exclaimed, "I have never thought of you as a puppet! You're my daughter, and that's all that matters to me! I gave you the option to pursue a new path so you wouldn't grow up like I did! I didn't want you thinking that fighting was the only thing you were good at, but I kept training you because you wanted to be a hero and fight for justice! I just wanted you to follow your own path, and since you wanted to be a hero, I was willing to do anything to help you achieve that!"

Scyther's eyes widened as Lopunny exclaimed, "She's telling the truth, Scyther!" Aipom nodding and adding, "Yeah! She told me all about this two days ago! She always cared about you and your well-being! Her training was not for her own selfish benefit!"

At that moment, Scyther gave a warm smile, tears coming from her eyes as she sniffed, "I'm sorry for doubting you, Lehrer... I mean mother."

"Aw, how touching!" Fiarrow exclaimed, taking to the sky and adding, "Unfortunately for you, you learned the truth way too late!" his body now bursting into flame as panic filled the area, Scyther closing her eyes and thinking, 'I guess this is punishment for being so foolish. At least my mother has forgiven me.'

Reika shouted, "SCYTHER, YOU GOTTA GET OUT OF THAT!" Aipom screeching, "THERE'S GOTTA BE A WAY!" Lopunny and Machoke not even sure what to say as Tsuya, Cici and Keiko all had their hands clasped over their mouths.

Unfortunately, it was too late as Fiarrow performed a U-turn, heading head-first toward the mat and shouting, "FLARE BLITZ!" sending Scyther head-first into the ring as a big smoke cloud formed around the two.

Everyone stared in absolute horror as the smoke slowly cleared, Scyther lying unconscious as green blood came from her head and mouth, her eyes closed as she lay there. To make matters worse, her right leg and left arm had been twisted so much that it did not take a medical expert to tell that both those parts of her had been dislocated. Sure, Scyther was strong, but she was still very skinny and because of this, it was hard for her to avoid taking in too much pain from a move like this.

Weedle took a deep breath and rang the bell, exclaiming, "And B block's second round of The Next Gen Battle goes to Fiarrow!" the crowd once again not sure how to feel as one person exclaimed, "Fiarrow was right! Fighting dirty helped him win!" Machoke staring at the crowd with absolute horror as half the audience actually agreed with this statement. Sure, not even seemed to approve of Fiarrow's tactics, but it was sickening to think that even this many people could be so easily manipulated.

Scizor did not care about that, though. Right now she was watching in absolute horror as her daughter was carried to a hospital truck now that the electricity had been shut down, the insect running after the medics hoping she could stay by her daughter's side for the rest of the day. The medics agreed to this as she entered the back of the truck with them, taking off from the area.

Weedle then cleared his throat and explained, "Tomorrow, we'll hold a social gathering in honour of the two who have advanced to the finals. Anyone can come along. The final match will take place three days from now at noon, and it will take place in Tokyo Stadium."

During this whole thing, Lucario had been fidgeting constantly in his seat. He was still hiding something, but what was it? Why could he not say this? Either way, he had to see the match between Fiarrow and Machoke no matter what.

"Well, that's that!" Fiarrow exclaimed with a big grin as Lopunny gritted her teeth, breathing heavily as Machoke was trembling all over, trying his best not to run for his life right here and now. Fiarrow simply cast him a wicked smirk and said, "You're next, pal!" Machoke jumping back before hitting his head against the seat behind him.

As the boy rubbed the back of his head, Lopunny gave him a serious look and said, "Promise me you'll make him pay," Machoke blinking as the rabbit added, "I know him losing will get us kicked out of Tokyo, but I don't even care about that anymore! He may be on the side of justice, but his way of thinking is disgraceful! I want to see him suffer, especially after what he did to Scyther!"

The others stared at the boy until he gulped, uttering, "Y-Yeah, I can do that," the boy not even sure if he could stand up to someone so powerful and scary. Even so, he had to try, and not just for Lopunny either, but for his friends. Fiarrow may have been a hero, but he was more like a villain, not just with his tactics but his way of thinking. Machoke definitely had his work cut out for him.


	24. Chapter 24

It was the day after the semi-finals had come to a close and needless to say, it was unsettling. Scizor had been by Scyther's side since her loss to Fiarrow and refused to leave the hospital. Because of this, the nurse had been bringing her food so she would not go hungry. A few times, Scizor had been tempted to share it with Scyther before remembering her daughter could not eat in her current state.

And of course, Machoke's friends were still hospitalized, though apparently they should have been up and moving again the next day. Though with his match with Fiarrow coming up soon, it was still looking bad.

The evening came soon enough as at the very least, Machoke was at least going to attend the social gathering Weedle had set up. This time, he was extra prepared as he was wearing a fancy black suit. Lopunny decided to try something fancy as well and decided to wear a white sleeveless dress with a gold rim across the top, the dress going up to the top half of her chest.

Even Fiarrow had shown up in a suit of his own, a tuxedo to be exact. Though with his wings, it was rather hard to wear it as it was, so he ended up having to put holes in it. Not being one to care that much about fashion, he did not feel the least bit guilty about doing something like this.

Of course, Aipom was dressed in her own little tuxedo and bow-tie with Reika and her friends dressed fancy as well, only Reika was wearing a different dress this time. All-in-all, everyone was clearly prepared for the social gathering, even Weedle who had at least gotten hold of a tie for the occasion.

Lopunny looked rather nervous, especially since she had no team mates to chat with. However, her attitude improved a bit when Machoke walked by saying, "Wow, that's a really nice dress," before walking off and calling out, "Oh, Reika, where are you!?" Lopunny smiling lightly and finding the courage to mingle with the human guests.

With Fiarrow now having fans, he had quite a few girls sitting with him at a table as a waitress came by asking, "May I offer you a drink?" the falcon replying, "Bring me a watermelon," the woman blinking and asking, "Excuse me, but did you say a watermelon?" Fiarrow nodding as the woman shrugged, heading to the back to get him one from storage.

All the while, Reika was talking amongst her friends while Cici squeaked, "You look so pretty in that, Reika," Tsuya saying, "Yeah, I'm totally jelly right now." Reika simply smiled and replied, "Thanks. I just hope Machoke likes it."

"Wait, what?" Tsuya asked, "Is there something you're not telling us?" Reika's cheeks turning pink as she remarked, "No, of course not! It's just... he hasn't seen it yet, that's all!"

Machoke then approached her from behind with a childish grin on his face and placed his hands over her eyes saying, "Guess who," Reika taking hold of his hands and flipping him over, slamming him hard against his back as the others stared in shock, Reika gasping, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you!" Machoke's eyes swirling.

'At least his spirits seem to be back up,' Aipom thought while watching this scene. She could feel his terror at the thought of facing Fiarrow yesterday and as such, she could not help but worry about him during that time.

Keiko approached her and tapped her on the head, Aipom turning and saying, "Hi, Keiko," the woman saying, "I know you're worried about him, and I'm not gonna lie, that Fiarrow is going to be a scary opponent for him. But I feel confident. After all, his family has a knack for getting out of tight spots when it really counts," Aipom sighing, "I know, but I still worry about him."

At that moment, a watermelon was brought over to Fiarrow, the falcon saying, "Thanks, lady," giving her a seductive wink as her cheeks turned red, one of the girls sitting at the table asking, "So, how are you going to beat Machoke two days from now?"

"It's quite simple," Fiarrow replied as he held the watermelon up over a glass before squeezing on it and adding, "I'm gonna hold him like this and break him open just like this!" the falcon having applied just enough force to create a hole in the bottom of the watermelon as the juice poured out into the glass, the girls applauding him as he poured them all glasses as well. Even the waitress could not help but admire this display.

When Fiarrow took a sip of the juice, a waiter approached his table and said, "Excuse me, Fiarrow, sir, but we have something special prepared for you," the falcon smirking and replying, "I like the sound of that," the waiter adding, "Right this way," pointing toward a door on the Northern side of the wall as Fiarrow nodded, saying, "Wait right here, girls," all of them nodding.

However, just as the two were about to head off, Machoke immediately dashed in front of them and spat, "Hey, what about me!? I'm a finalist too!" the waiter replying, "Sorry, sir, but you're not important enough," Machoke's jaw dropped before he retorted, "Not important enough!? I'll show you not important!" Aipom, Lopunny, Reika and Keiko using all their might to hold him back while he and Fiarrow headed toward the door, the falcon chuckling and replying, "Some people are just better than others, I guess."

With that, both people were walking down a hallway as Fiarrow asked, "So, where is this special something. I don't wanna make my fangirls wait for too long. I may be mean, but I'm not cruel."

However, the waiter had a brief glimmer in his eye as he remarked, "Oh, don't worry, it won't be long at all," the man removing his outfit and head to reveal that he had been Lucario all along. Before Fiarrow could even respond, the dog grabbed hold of his wrists and knelt down, creating a bridge formation with his body and placing the falcon's back against his spike.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" the dog spat, "I should have taken you down long ago, and now I'm finally going to set things right, Talonflame!"

Fiarrow gritted his teeth and retorted, "Lucario!? I should ask you the same thing! I thought you were on our side!" the dog remarking, "Shut up, I don't serve evil anymore! I guess I shouldn't have expected you to know that since you don't read newspapers!"

"Well, go ahead, take me out with that precious London Bridge of yours," Fiarrow said, "but if you do, I'll still have enough strength to tell everyone your secret," Lucario's eyes going wide as the falcon added, "I also don't appreciate you using my real name like that. I can't have anyone finding out who I really am, at least not yet."

The dog growled and released his hold on Fiarrow, the bird chuckling and saying, "Good boy. Now run along home and let me go about my business in peace," Lucario gritting his teeth and pointing at him, retorting, "Mark my words! Machoke will defeat you!" the dog taking his leave.

At that moment, some of the staff members ran into the area, one asking, "We heard a noise. Is everything okay?" Fiarrow replying, "Yeah, don't worry about it. Some punk tried to take me out, but I chased him off easily," another staff member asking, "Should we pursue him?"

"Don't bother," the falcon replied, "He's not worth your time and trust me, after what I did to him, he's not coming back," before thinking, 'He'd better not if he knows what's good for him.'

The rest of the evening went okay as Machoke actually started to calm down. The evening had been peaceful. Fiarrow had not done anything drastic to ruin it nor had he sent the boy any more threats. Aipom was quite glad to see Machoke calming down as she wanted him to at least have some positivity before his big match.

With all said and done, the guests all headed off to return home. While walking to Keiko's car, Reika turned to Lopunny and said, "I really like your dress. Where did you get it?" the rabbit replying, "It was a gift from my mother before I left Egypt. She knew that if I graduated, I'd likely be located somewhere else, so she wanted me to have this with me. Apparently, she wore it the day she and my father met."

And on that note, Reika and her friends entered the car as Keiko started up the motor, taking off from the area. Machoke and Aipom knew they would have to bus home, but they were used to this so it hardly mattered.

Along the way, Machoke looked out the window with a serious look in his eyes. Aipom noticed this and rested a hand gently against his shoulder, the boy smiling. He was no longer scared of Fiarrow and was willing to do his absolute best to win. There was no way he was going to let all his progress mean nothing.

With that, the boy trained hard the next couple of days, harder than ever before. Aipom was naturally really happy to see him taking everything so seriously as she did her best to help him. She was still hoping she could find a good way to help him avoid the Flare Blitz, though, as she knew that was likely to finish him off if Fiarrow used it.

Soon enough, the big day came. As was predicted, Gallade, Gardevoir and Blaziken were finally out of the hospital and had been for a whole day. Needless to say, Machoke was relieved that he'd have their support as he knew he would need it.

The seats in Tokyo stadium were naturally filled. This was the match everyone had been anticipating and there was no way they were going to miss it. Big companies had closed for the day, including grocery stores and those who could not attend were tuned in at home to watch the match. The only operation still running was, of course, the hospital as they still had patients.

Heracross was wide awake and able to watch the TV there to see the outcome. Unlike Lopunny, he was not sure whether or not he wanted Fiarrow to win. On one hand, he agreed that what he had seen from the falcon on TV was terrible, but at the same time, he really wanted to protect Tokyo with his friends.

Scyther also still felt loyal to the team and had even told Scizor to go to the ring and pass on a message she managed to whisper to her in the hospital the previous day. It was around noon that Scyther had woken up a bit that day.

Scizor wandered the halls toward the bleachers as there was still an hour to go before the match, remembering that time, how Scyther had finally opened her eyes a bit and whispered, "Mother... come here," the older insect walking over and lending her the side of her head and biting her lower lip, letting down tears and sniffing, "Gott sei dank, you're okay."

"I want you to go and watch the match in person tomorrow," Scyther uttered, Scizor nodding and replying, "Of course," the insect adding, "On last thing. Tell Fiarrow to do all he can to defeat Machoke. I may not like him, but I still want him to win."

Scizor still could not believe her daughter had told her to do that. On one hand, she knew it would have been very disrespectful not to do as Scyther said, but on the other hand, she did not want such words coming from her mouth. Besides, she knew how Fiarrow would have responded anyway. Instead of appreciating these words and considering Scyther a true friend, he would likely act smug and call her stupid for even thinking he would need words of encouragement.

Even so, while she walked down the hall, she noticed Fiarrow in a training room getting ready for the match as she took a deep breath, about to let the falcon know she was there. However, she hesitated but ultimately went along with it anyway, knocking on the door even thought it was already open.

Fiarrow turned to face her and said, "Oh, it's you," Scizor walking over and sighing, "I have a message from my daughter," the falcon blinking and sighing, "Alright, make this quick."

Scizor then proceeded to say, "Do all you can to defeat Machoke and never give up no matter how hard things get. That's what she told me to say," Fiarrow shrugging his shoulders and replying, "I wasn't expecting that, but she has no reason to worry because I already know I'm gonna wipe the floor with that moron's face," a wicked smirk on his face as Scizor took a deep breath, exiting the room.

It was just as she figured it would be. Granted, his response was nowhere near as harsh as she had expected, but he still had a smug attitude to him. The fact that she had even said something encouraging to him made her feel dirty inside like she had just given advice to a villain.

All the while, Machoke was preparing himself as well and much harder than Fiarrow was. As usual, Fiarrow was not really training as much as he was just resting so he would be fully energized. Machoke planned to use that against him as he trained rigorously.

All the while, his friends sat in the crowd, Reika, Keiko, Tsuya and Cici taking front row seats while the others sat in the row just behind them. Reika simply smiled at them and said, "It's still so good to see you guys here," Blaziken replying, "As if we'd miss this. I wanna see that Fiarrow bastard get his comeuppance."

Gardevoir and Gallade nodded as Gallade said, "That guy just rubs me the wrong way, especially after the way he's been treating his own teammates," Gardevoir simply nodding in agreement.

Lucario all the while once again sat in the back row, his blood filled with anger. It was not so much anger geared toward Fiarrow but at himself for not saying anything. He wanted so badly to reveal whatever secret it was he had, but as Fiarrow had stated the previous night, there was something he knew about Lucario that could very well damage his image. But what were these two secrets that both were hiding from the world and would the people ever know?

Whatever it was would have to wait as tensions were rising, Weedle taking a seat next to Nori, the woman exclaiming, "Welcome, everyone, to Tokyo Stadium! I am your host, Nori Takanawa, and this is the final round of The Next Gen Battle, and what an exciting match this is going to be! Despite Team Jinroku losing all but one member, that member managed to rise to the top and fight his way to the finals, so this match really will decide who will remain stationed in Tokyo! Needless to say, the tension is high, folks!"

Weedle nodded and added, "This match will also be fair, no cheap gimmicks or anything like that, meaning the electric rope will not be used again. Though I must admit, I am rather happy with how this tournament has gone with each match being more exciting than the last. Despite these being fights between heroes, everyone has been taking this very seriously and that makes for a truly wonderful spectacle, wouldn't you agree?"

The crowd cheered and applauded that statement, clearly agreeing with it as Lucario thought, 'He doesn't realize just how serious this is. Talonflame has everyone fooled. I wish I could just expose him right now for the liar he is.'

Of course, as always, Aipom was waiting by the ringside for the match to start. Things were certainly going to be interesting today, there was no doubt about that.

"Now without further ado," Weedle stated, "it's time to introduce our finalists," Nori nodding and exclaiming, "In the blue corner, having made his way through A block, the son of Machamp and the last representative of Team Jinroku, Machoke!"

All went silent as everyone was wondering what stupid entrance the boy had come up with this time. However, Machoke approached the ring with a serious look on his face. Aipom's eyes went wide as even she had expected something childish and over-the-top.

It seemed he was taking this more seriously than any other match before as he walked down the aisle, entering the ring without anything embarrassing happening. Aipom smiled and gave the boy thumbs up with her tail hand, Machoke simply giving her a brief smile before redirecting his focus toward the match at hand.

The crowd went wild as Nori shouted, "Wow, I can't believe it! After so many stupid entrances, Machoke actually looks quite dignified! I have no idea where this came from, but he's really focused on the match!" Weedle nodding and thinking, 'Perhaps he's not the embarrassment I thought he was.'

With that, Nori quickly nudged the caterpillar as he nodded, stating, "In the red corner, having made his way through the challenge of the B Block, the last representative of Team Next Gen, Fiarrow!"

At that moment, the falcon flew out from the entrance, performing a somersault in the air before landing firmly against the ring, half the audience cheering wildly for him. Sure, this was nowhere near as intricate as his last entrance, but it was still a spectacle as he smirked, saying, "Figured I'd go for a more simple approach. Don't wanna waste too much energy before such an important match."

Lopunny frowned and repeated his words in a mocking tone, Keiko saying, "Well, that is certainly a logical way of thinking," Gardevoir simply smiling lightly and saying, "True, but look at Machoke. It's like he's not scared at all," Blaziken nodding and replying, "I know. He looks so calm and collective, the exact opposite of what he's usually like. We could be seeing him at his absolute best right now."

However, while everyone was certainly impressed by this, Fiarrow seemed to notice something about Machoke's eyes. Surprisingly, it was not fear, but what else could it possibly be?

Either way, the falcon smirked and said, "I'll admit, I was expecting you to run home to Mommy. I guess you got more guts than I gave you credit for," Machoke glaring into his eyes and saying nothing, everyone amazed by just how cool and confident he was acting. The old Machoke would have at least been openly offended by such a statement, but he seemed unfazed by it.

With all said and done, Nori rang the bell shouting, "Let the final match begin!" Fiarrow wasting no time rushing toward Machoke. However, before Aipom could even give a bit of advice, Machoke immediately dodged to the right when the falcon got close enough and sent a high kick into his cheek.

The crowd went wild as Machoke smirked, saying, "Nice try, but that's so predictable," Reika exclaiming, "ALRIGHT, MACHOKE, GIVE HIM HELL!"

Before Fiarrow could even respond, Machoke immediately rushed at him and sent a karate chop just below his neck. The falcon responded by grabbing onto Machoke's sides only for the boy to send two karate chops hard into his shoulders, the crowd even more impressed when this actually ended up being enough to get Fiarrow to let go.

"This is unlike anything I've seen from Machoke before!" Nori exclaimed, "Sure, I've seen him get an early lead, but it's never been this impressive!" Weedle nodding and replying, "I have to admit, he's doing a really good job so far."

"You're the best, Machoke!" Gardevoir squealed as Lopunny jumped up and down with excitement, Machoke not stopping after that last move.

Before Fiarrow could even attempt a counterattack, Machoke got behind him and wrapped his arms around the bird, leaning backward for a German Suplex. Everyone expected him to get out of it just like he had with Scyther, but Machoke managed to add just enough extra speed that the falcon did not have enough time to use his wings, his head hitting the mat hard.

As Fiarrow slowly rose to his feet, rubbing his head, Aipom exclaimed, "NOW, MACHOKE, HIT HIM WHILE HE'S STILL RECOVERING!" only for Machoke to stand perfectly still. All went silent as Blaziken asked, "Why isn't he attacking?"

"Yeah, knowing him, he'd jump at a chance to take advantage of something like this," Gallade replied, Gardevoir trembling and whimpering, "Guys, look," everyone then noticing what she meant as Machoke seemed to be struggling to keep his eyes open, his arms dropped as his legs were barely supporting him.

"Are you okay?" Aipom asked as Machoke groaned, "I was really hoping this wouldn't effect me this much," the monkey's eyes going wide as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm gonna be perfectly honest," Machoke uttered in a rather weak tone, "I was terrified of the thought of facing Fiarrow today," the boy then letting out a yawn before adding, "As such, I was only able to get four hours of sleep."

All went silent as Reika uttered, "Is... is he kidding?" Tsuya replying, "He's gonna be," Blaziken groaning, "Oh no, and after he was so serious."

Machoke had a look of disappointment on his face as he thought, 'Dammit, it's because of my lack of sleep that I decided not to go with a big, grand entrance like I usually do. I figured as long as I didn't try something like that, I'd have enough energy to go on,' Lopunny asking, "Is he going to be okay?"

Fiarrow laughed and said, "Yeah, as soon as I looked you straight in the eyes, I could see the fatigue and knew something was up. I figured if you were taking things slow and cautiously, you might actually be able to do some damage, so I let you wail on me and exhaust yourself."

"This is certainly a huge upset," Nori said, "Just as it seemed Machoke was doing better than ever before, his energy has nearly left him," Weedle sighing, "It figures."

Lucario gritted his teeth, a vein on his forehead as he muttering, "That idiot... what is wrong with him?" Scizor, who was also sitting in the back row, looking over at the dog, noticing that he was more distressed by Machoke's fatigue than anyone else.

With that in mind, Fiarrow flew toward Machoke with both feet out as he shouted, "Now it's my turn to shine!" the falcon hitting the boy hard in the face and knocking him on his back. After that, he took to the sky and held his feet together, the talons pointing down at Machoke's belly like a giant spike.

"I hate to end the match so early, but you gave me no choice in the matter," the falcon then spinning around as flames surrounded his body as he spat, "SPINNING TOP INFERNO!" the falcon dropping down hard against Machoke's gut, the boy's eyes going wide as blood came out of him like a spinning fountain.

After a few seconds, Fiarrow stopped his attack and leapt back saying, "Well, it's a little anticlimactic, but it's obvious who the winner is," Weedle taking a deep breath, secretly glad Machoke had been defeated so quickly as he nodded to Nori, the girl gulping and raising her mallet.

Aipom stared at this, her body trembling as she pleaded, "Please, Machoke, get up! Tell me you were kidding when you said that!"

Everyone else stared in absolute shock, Reika trembling and uttering, "Is this really how it's going to end?" Gallade groaning, "That was it?" Gardevoir whimpering, "Get up, Machoke," Blaziken frowning and remarking, "Don't count him out just yet."

All went silent as Machoke started coughing, Fiarrow's eyes widening as he slowly turned, asking, "Are you serious?" Nori stopping herself from hitting the bell and quickly taking the mic before exclaiming, "And in a shocking turn of events, Machoke has recovered from that devastating blow!"

As if this was not surprising enough, Machoke looked wide away as he very quickly leapt back to his feet and released steam from his nostrils. The crowd cheered wildly as Aipom took deep breaths, asking, "Are you okay, Machoke?" the boy grinning and giving her thumbs up while replying, "I've never felt better!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Fiarrow barked with a look of irritation in his eyes, "SERIOUSLY, YOU'RE TOTALLY BLUFFING, AREN'T YOU!?" Lopunny saying, "He's got a point. How can Machoke have so much energy after taking in an attack like that?"

Machoke simply laughed and said, "Normally something like that would have left me feeling weak, but this time, I needed something to really wake me up, and that was more than enough! Now I don't feel tired in the slightest, and it's all thanks to you!"

The crowd still did not completely understand this but still cheered all the same, Nori stating, "Well, it would seem that Fiarrow has unintentionally helped Machoke overcome his fatigue with his amazingly power attack," Weedle staring in disbelief while thinking, 'What is with this family and miracles?'

Fiarrow then took a deep breath and smirked, saying, "Oh well. I would have felt bad beating you so easily anyway. There would have been no real satisfaction in that, so I welcome this change."

"Man, you really had us worried, you jerk!" Blaziken snapped, Gardevoir letting down light tears of happiness and sniffing, "Don't scare us like that again," Machoke smiling nervously and replying, "Don't worry, I'll never do anything this stupid in the future, that's for sure. I'll take sleeping pills if I have to."

Lucario all the while breathed a sigh of relief while thinking, 'Well, at least he dodged that one, though considering how powerful Talonflame is, he probably should have stayed down.'

It looked like Machoke was going to lose, but it seemed that now he really stood a chance. But would this truly be enough to defeat Fiarrow?


	25. Chapter 25

Now that Machoke was wide awake, he could finally fight to the best of his abilities. But on the other hand, Fiarrow was no longer going to let the boy hit him. It was still uncertain who could possibly win this match but at least Machoke's spirits were high now.

With that in mind, the boy sprinted toward Fiarrow, the falcon getting ready to counter only for Machoke to swerve to the right, sending a roundhouse into his side. Fiarrow's eyes widened as the boy proceeded to send a hard elbow to his cheek, the falcon moving away from him a bit while the crowd cheered. It seemed Machoke had gotten his advantage back.

"I'll admit, you have skills, kid," Fiarrow said, rubbing his cheek with a smirk, "but don't think for a minute that I can't beat you, even with you fully awake. This is just a minor setback."

With that, the falcon once again spread his wings and took to the skies, Machoke attempting to grab him only to miss his legs. With Fiarrow airborne, it was anyone's guess how this could possibly end as Machoke gulped.

However, his confidence returned a bit when Aipom exclaimed, "Machoke, remember how Blaziken used the ropes in this situation!" Machoke blinking and replying, "That's right," the boy nodding his head before charging toward the ropes.

He leapt into the air and planted his feet firmly against the top one before launching himself off. Afterwards, he performed a flip in the air as Fiarrow readied himself for a counterattack only for the boy to send a downward kick into his skull, the crowd going wild.

Machoke smirked and said, "Oh yeah, how do you like that!?" only to panic when he noticed his kick seemed to have little to no effect. Fiarrow was still flapping his wings and looked completely unfazed as he held up his arm and grabbed hold of the boy's ankle.

"I'll admit, your strategy was at least better than Blaziken and Scyther's were," Fiarrow stated with a smirk, "Instead of wasting your energy on a special move, you used a simple but effective one. Even so, you forget how strong I am."

With that said, Fiarrow lifted the boy up by his ankle and hurled him back-first into the mat, the falcon's fanclub now cheering him on. He then proceeded to dive down with his heels pointed outward, ramming them hard into Machoke's gut, the boy once again taking in extreme pain, especially now that he had a pretty bad wound in this spot from earlier.

"I'll also let you all in on something else," Fiarrow stated, folding his arms and landing against the canvas, "I'm even stronger when I'm flying, so it'll take a great deal of muscle to ground me."

Blaziken's eyes were wide with fear as she uttered, "He's got a point. Both Scyther and I had the most trouble taking him down when he was in the air like that," Aipom screeching, "Come on, Machoke, get up! You've taken in worse than this!"

"Yeah, I have," Machoke uttered, slowly rising to his feet and breathing heavily. However, now he really was scared again. Fiarrow was such a frightening opponent and so far, it seemed no one could beat him. But no matter what, Machoke had to find a way.

His train of thought was quickly interrupted when Fiarrow flew toward him with his arm out, Aipom exclaiming, "Machoke, you can either duck under that or counter it!" the boy ducking under it in fear of being overpowered if he tried to counter. Unfortunately, Fiarrow would not him go that easily and sent his arm downward into the boy's skull when it got close enough.

Machoke groaned from the pain as Fiarrow proceeded to stop his flight and wrap his arms around the boy's neck. Machoke quickly rose his foot back and kicked the falcon in the shin only for him to ignore the pain and lift the boy up, ramming him face-first into the turnbuckle.

Fiarrow's fans were once again ecstatic as Nori said, "Just as things were finally looking up for Machoke, Fiarrow's strength starts getting the better of him," Machoke's friends all in panic, Lucario taking a deep breath as Scizor once again eyed the dog. She could tell he was hiding something.

Fiarrow laughed and said, "This is the champion's son? Man, I'm kinda disappointed. I was expecting so much better from you," Machoke fuming and retorting, "Don't count your chickens before they've hatched!" Aipom all the while biting her lip, wishing she knew of some sort of advice she could give to help him back up those words. With Fiarrow, it was difficult to tell just what would work. He seemed to have either a counterattack or a high resistance to just about everything. What could Machoke possibly do to defeat him?

In fact, Machoke seemed to be thinking just that as he let out a sigh, groaning, "Oh, what's the use?" spreading out his arms and falling on his back, everyone staring in shock as Gardevoir whimpered, "Machoke?" Reika fuming and barking, "WHAT THE HELL, MAN!? AFTER ALL THAT BACKTALK, YOU'RE JUST GIVING UP!?" Machoke uttering, "Yeah, that's pretty much what's going on."

This definitely caused a huge upset in the crowd as Machoke sighed, "I can't possibly beat you. Just make this quick," Fiarrow blinking and smirking before saying, "Now there's a request I can fulfil. I must say, you're a lot smarter than I thought you were," everyone else staring in utter silence. However, the only one not looking distressed right now, shockingly enough, was Lucario. But why? He had been so scared for Machoke's safety up to this point and now he did not look worried in the slightest.

"MACHOKE, STOP JOKING AROUND!" Aipom screeched, slapping her tail hand against the side of the ring, "YOU CAN STILL BEAT HIM! WE'LL COME UP WITH SOMETHING TOGETHER! IT'S POSSIBLE!"

The rest of the crowd broke out into an uproar as well, one of Machoke's fans shouting, "Come on, man, you can still fight him!" another adding, "Come on, rise to your feet!" Lopunny barking, "REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE!"

"No..." Gardevoir remarked, everyone staring at her as Reika retorted, "Are you crazy!?" Gardevoir shushing her and squeaking, "I can see it in his eyes," Blaziken nodding and replying, "Me too. He's got something planned, something big."

With that, Fiarrow rose high above the ring, getting himself ready for his Spinning Top Inferno again. However, Machoke simply grimaced and asked, "That's how high you're gonna go? Really?" Fiarrow looking up, a scared look forming in his eyes briefly as he quickly wiped it from his face and said, "You're right, an attack from higher up would create more a spectacle, wouldn't it?"

All went silent as the falcon rose a bit higher, Machoke smirking and thinking, 'Perfect,' before quickly getting into a bridge formation and propelling himself high off the canvas, everyone staring in absolute shock. After that, the boy proceeded twist himself upside-down and grab hold of Fiarrow, applying all of his might to flipping both him and the falcon one-hundred-and-eighty degrees.

With that, the crowd went wild as Gallade asked, "All of that was to set him up for the Muscle Tombstone?" Gardevoir nodding as Tsuya said, "Wow, Machoke's a genius. I can't believe I just said that."

And it seemed they were right as Machoke wrapped his ankles around the falcon's neck, pulling on his arms and locking them in place. Best of all, though, he was right up against Fiarrow's back. Because of this, the bird could not use his wings to stop his descent.

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "What a shocker! Machoke wasn't giving up at all! It was all a ruse to drop Fiarrow's guard!" Weedle saying, "I didn't think he was capable of something that smart."

"I also needed you just high enough," Machoke stated with a smirk, "I want to make sure this move takes you down, and while normally it would do that anyway, the extra height will help for sure," Aipom's eyes sparkling as she thought, 'I never would have come up with that,' before squealing, "COME ON, FINISH HIM OFF, MACHOKE!"

However, while the boy started his descent toward the mat, Fiarrow smirked and remarked, "You're not as clever as you think you are," all going silent as Machoke remarked, "Are you kidding?" only for the falcon to state, "I knew you'd try something like this, so I let you set me up for it, because I know how to counter this move."

The people in the audience looked shocked as Machoke retorted, "You're a liar! Even with the lack of an extra pair of arms, this move is perfect and can't be defeated, right, Aipom!?" the monkey simply stared in absolute silence, Machoke reiterating, "Right, Aipom!?"

"Figures the daughter of Ambipom would know what I'm talking about," Fiarrow said before shifting his weight back, everyone staring in absolute shock as the falcon added, "The only downside is it takes a considerable amount of muscle to pull it off, but it's still possible," now pushing even harder as soon enough, he had managed to flip himself over so now it was back to square one with Machoke's head now facing the mat, the falcon turning himself around so he was facing the boy.

Everyone stared in absolute horror as the bird wrapped his arms around Machoke, ramming his head hard into the canvas while Lucario winced at the sight of this. Why had he not seen this coming?

"What just happened?" Reika asked, Keiko saying, "I think the Muscle Tombstone was just defeated," the audience not even sure how to take this. Machoke had used that move to defeat the majority of his opponents and no one had been able to get out of it, and yet Fiarrow had pulled it off with so much ease.

"That was a lucky shot," Machoke grunted, slowly pushing himself back up as everyone stared silently, the boy coughing a bit and adding, "Clearly, I must have done something wrong, that's all. I can get it right, though, so it's okay."

"No," Aipom remarked, "It's best not to try it again, at least not until Fiarrow's weak enough," Machoke turning to her and asking, "What do you mean?" Fiarrow raising an eyebrow and asking, "Yeah, are you saying you actually know how I pulled that off?"

The monkey nodded and sighed, "Yes, my mommy told me all about it. See, back when Bouffalant was still evil, he and Machamp fought, and during that match he had been set up for the Muscle Tombstone. However, Bouffalant managed to counter the attack by applying a massive amount of strength and using it to flip himself and Machamp. It was truly devastating."

Machoke's eye twitched as Weedle added, "But I don't understand. All records of that fight were disposed of in case villains tried to get their hands on it. How did you acquire that information?" the falcon replying, "Let's just say a little birdy told me and leave it at that."

The crowd could not believe such a thing was true, Machoke having even more trouble believing it as Fiarrow added, "Though to be perfectly honest, your version's much easier to avoid. I could have easily just used my feet to escape from it and save me the trouble, but I wanted you to know exactly how it was beaten when your daddy used it."

Machoke stood silently as Gallade groaned, "Oh no, his spirits have been crushed," Blaziken sighing, "I can't blame him. That strategy of his was really good."

However, it seemed Machoke's spirits had not left him as he spat, "NO, YOU'RE WRONG! I CAN BEAT YOU WITH THE MUSCLE TOMBSTONE AND I WILL PROVE IT!" the boy charging at Fiarrow and ramming his shoulders hard into him, getting behind him and latching his arms onto his shoulders, leaping high above the ring and flipping him upside-down for the attack again.

"MACHOKE, NO!" Aipom spat, Machoke not listening as he spat, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" heading toward the ring and adding, "I made no mistakes this time!" Fiarrow laughing and remarking, "It's not a matter of you messing up the attack, it's that this move is ancient by today's standards!"

With that, the bird decided to prove his theory correct by spreading out his legs, bend then back and latching them onto Machoke's neck. After that, he used the feet to pull forward, once again switching places with Machoke. After that, he quickly grabbed hold of Machoke's ankles thus slamming his face hard into the canvas, his fanclub going wild while everyone else was mortified.

Machoke slowly rose back to his feet, coughing up blood now as more was dripping from his nostrils. Lucario all the while gritted his teeth, Scizor now really concerned about him and tempted to ask him what was going on. She could tell this was something he was not willing to talk about, but even so, she wanted to know what he was hiding.

"Alright, I've had my fun now," Fiarrow said with a smirk as Gardevoir let down tears, sniffing, "Is Machoke going to lose?" Gallade patting her on the shoulder and saying, "There, there," Lopunny praying for his safety.

Fiarrow immediately walked over to Machoke saying, "You should have stayed down," wrapping his arms around the boy and adding, "It would have saved you a world of torment, though because you've suffered enough seeing your precious Muscle Tombstone defeated, I'll apply only half the force I usually do when using this. I don't think you could handle much else in your state."

With that, the falcon's body burst into flame as he took off high into the air, performing a U-turn and shouting, "FLARE BLITZ!" slamming Machoke's head hard into the mat, a smoke cloud forming around them. Soon enough, the smoke cleared as Fiarrow released his hold on Machoke, shouting, "YEAH, I JUST DEFEATED THE SON OF THAT OVERRATED HACK!" his fans once again cheering while everyone else was simply stunned.

"No," Blaziken uttered, Gardevoir biting her lip and whimpering. Not only was she going to be separated from her friends, but Machoke looked like he would be hospitalized for a long time after taking in so much punishment. Sure, he had dealt with great challenges, but not one opponent was worse than Fiarrow.

"This can't be happening," Reika uttered, "Mom, Machoke will get up, right?" Keiko nodding and replying, "He has to. He's a member of the Mach family. They always get up no matter how bad the pain," Cici and Tsuya hugging each other.

"He put up a valiant effort," Gallade sighed, "I just can't believe he of all people would lose," Lopunny scowling at Fiarrow and growling, "I was really hoping that smug jerk would get his comeuppance."

However, the one feeling the most torn up by all of this was Aipom, the monkey looking down with light tears and sniffing, "This is my fault. I wasn't able to give him any good advice," Fiarrow shrugging his shoulders and remarking, "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, kid. I'm not exactly an easy fighter to figure out."

Lucario all the while was struggling to stay seated now when suddenly, Scizor took him by the wrist and said, "Lucario, if you have something you need to say, say it now before it's too late!" the dog taking a deep breath and replying, "You're right," the dog getting up and running down the steps along with Scizor. He no longer cared about whatever dirt Fiarrow had on him. He just wanted things to turn out right.

Weedle took a deep breath as he nodded at Nori, the woman reaching for her mallet. This was it. Machoke really had lost.

But just as Nori was about to ring the bell, Lucario came close enough for everyone to hear as he snapped, "STOP!" all going silent as the crowd turned to face him, Fiarrow glaring at him and thinking, 'What are you doing, Lucario? You'd better not be thinking of tattling on me.'

"Listen, there is something you all need to know about Fiarrow," Lucario stated, "He's not who you think he is. Before coming to Hero School, he and I once trained together back when I was on the side of evil! In other words, Fiarrow is actually a villain!" everyone gasping as Weedle asked, "Is what you're saying true?" Lucario nodding and replying, "One last thing to note; his real name is Talonflame!"

All went silent as Weedle uttered, "I've heard that name before," Nori asking, "You have?" the caterpillar nodding and replying, "It was right after the graduates had been sent to Earth. I was investigating the campus late at night when I noticed one of the assigned students, Swanna, had been badly beaten with only a few seconds left to live. With her last ounce of strength, she told me someone by the name of Talonflame had done it."

Fiarrow's eye twitched as everyone glared at him, the falcon taking a deep breath and replacing his irritation with a smirk. After that, he looked at Weedle and stated, "Yeah, that was me alright, though personally I think you did a better job taking me in as her replacement. She was pathetic!"

Everyone panicked, Fiarrow, or rather Talonflame's fans all gasping in shock, those with merchandise related to him tossing it. They could not believe they had supported someone so cruel and deceitful.

"If you knew this, why didn't you tell anyone!?" Aipom spat, Weedle sighing, "It's shameful to admit, but, well, I was afraid, okay?" everyone staring as he added, "Right after Swanna had told me this news, a paper crane flew at my head with a message inside saying I would be killed if I breathed a word of this to anyone."

"So you kept this important news a secret for your own benefit!?" Reika snapped, the rest of the crowd shouting insults and curses toward the bug as he sighed, "Yes, that's exactly what the case it," Weedle lowering his head and sighing, "I don't deserve to be chairman."

Lucario took a deep breath and added, "I have another thing to say," Talonflame asking, "What would that be? You've already ratted me out," the dog remarking, "You know what it is!" the falcon's eyes widening as he uttered, "You wouldn't."

Lucario simply frowned and stated, "I also knew the secret to countering the Muscle Tombstone! My father told me about it back when I still had a good relationship with him," everyone even more interested as he added, "I told Talonflame this very secret," the crowd gasping, Scizor nodding and saying, "It took a lot of courage to say that, Lucario."

'Lucario, you bastard!' Talonflame thought while gritting his teeth, 'Not only do you tattle on me, but you even have the balls to rob me of the satisfaction of revealing your own secret to the world! Once my victory is made official, I'm coming for you next!'

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Scyther was crying out in agony, tears rolling down her cheeks. Scizor had tears of her own as she knew this was happening right now, and she understood entirely. After all, Scyther's ally whom she had sent her mother to help encourage was now revealed to be on the side of evil. It would be a long time until the insect could forgive herself from fighting alongside someone like that.

"I know it's my job to be neutral, but there is something you can do about this," Nori said to Weedle, the caterpillar nodding and glaring at Talonflame before barking, "Talonflame, you have violated a major rule! Going under another alias during the tournament may not have been against the rules, but being a villain in a tournament for heroes is! As chairman, I hereby disqualify you from The Next Gen Battle and yield the victory over to Team Jinroku!"

Talonflame simply glared at him as the bug trembled, uttering, "You can't intimidate me anymore! Now leave before I'm forced to take drastic measures!" a group of security guards running into the area as Talonflame shrugged, saying, "Okay, fine, I'm going. I don't even care about this tournament. I just wanted to beat up Machoke. I don't even care if this counts as an official victory, because it technically is."

The crowd glared at the falcon, feeling that Weedle was being far too kind even giving him the right to leave as Talonflame walked toward the ropes while saying, "Let me give you a few parting words," pointing at the unconscious Machoke and adding, "If this is the best that mankind has to combat our forces, you guys are majorly screwed! You may as well give up right now!"

But just as the falcon was about to take his leave, a voice came from behind him grunting, "Hold it!" Talonflame's eyes going wide as everyone stared in absolute shock, Machoke slowly rising back to his feet and breathing heavily, Aipom biting her lower lip and letting down tears of joy.

"I THOUGHT FOR SURE YOU WERE DONE FOR!" the monkey screeched, Gardevoir taking a deep breath and squeaking, "That terrified me!" the others in full agreement.

"If Scyther and I had fought in this ring today," Machoke said through breaths, "either one of us would have gladly accepted the outcome no matter what. Sure, I would have been upset, maybe even thrown a tantrum if I'd lost, but I would have eventually accepted it."

Talonflame rose an eyebrow, Lucario wondering where he was going as well, the boy adding, "But now that I know you're a villain, I can't let you walk out of here!" turning to Weedle and saying, "I would like to finish this match if that's alright with you!"

Weedle had a serious look in his eyes, confused as to what he should do now as Nori asked, "Sir, is that alright?" the caterpillar taking a deep breath and replying, "Yes, as I said before, if the opponent is okay with the rule violation, the match will be allowed to continue."

With that, everyone in the area cheered wildly for Machoke, all of them truly amazed by his spirit. Even after having his best move shattered, even after having taken in such a horrible beating, he was still willing to fight to the bitter end if it meant saving the world from Talonflame's might. Aipom was more proud than ever before. Machoke had truly grown from what he once was.

"I'm impressed," Talonflame said with a light chuckle, "Most people would have accepted a free victory like that, but you got guts, even more than Blaziken," the falcon then turning to face him before adding, "I think I actually might have some real respect for you now, but don't think I'm not gonna wipe the floor with you, buddy! I'm not so easy to take down, but you already knew that!"

And on that note, tensions had risen greatly. Sure, Machoke had made a miraculous recovery, but was this really enough or was Talonflame simply too strong to be beaten?


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: The Boy Who Flew Too High is a famous story in Greek mythology and is not something I made up.

Just as everyone thought the match had ended, things had changed, but whether or not it was for the better was anyone's guess. On one hand, Machoke looked more confident in himself than ever before, but on the other hand, he had taken in a huge beating. To make matters worse, he had just rejected a free victory meaning if he lost this match, he and his friends would still be relocated and separated from each other as per agreement.

Talonflame wasted no time charging toward Machoke as the boy simply dodged to the side, sending a karate chop into the falcon's cheek. Unlike last time, though, Talonflame had not allowed the boy to hit him. And to make things better, Machoke was not going to waste this chance as he sent more karate chops, blows to the cheek being delivered by his right hand while his left hand dealt damage to the ribs.

The crowd went wild as Talonflame grunted, "That barely hurts!" sending his fist sideways toward Machoke only for the boy to duck under it, grabbing onto the falcon's arm before he could attempt another blow to the head like before. After that, the boy turned so his back to facing Talonflame's side and threw his arms forward, hurling Talonflame over his head and sending him sideways into the mat.

The crowd was cheering even louder now as Gardevoir squeaked, "It's like he's a whole new person!" Gallade exclaiming, "Yeah, I don't know where all this power is coming from, but he's going an amazing job!"

Keiko simply smiled as Reika said, "It's just like you said, Mom. The Mach family has a knack for coming out of the toughest scrapes."

"Well, I may not be able to give him the advice he needs, but at least he's doing a good job," Aipom said before thinking, 'That and that move he just used was one I taught him once, so I can take some credit for that.'

Just as Talonflame was trying to get up, Machoke quickly grabbed him by the head and lifted him up above his shoulders before exclaiming, "I may not be able to use my Muscle Tombstone on you, but I can still use other techniques!" Nori exclaiming, "And with little to no effort, Machoke had set up Talonflame for a brainbuster!"

But as the boy leaned back to deliver the move, Talonflame smirked and spread out his wings, placing them against the mat and stopping himself from making contact. All went silent in the crowd as the falcon proceeded to push himself up and out of Machoke's grip, the boy losing balance and falling on his back.

Talonflame saw a perfect opportunity as he landed hard against Machoke's gut with his heels, the boy's eyes widening as he coughed up more blood. It seemed he had not yet fully recovered from all the damage he had been dealt earlier.

"Oh no, don't tell me he's already lost his advantage," Blaziken groaned as Talonflame took to the skies again, only this time getting higher only to stop at a certain point, the highest he had ever gone and said, "It's been fun, Machoke, but I think I'll end this now."

Machoke blinked and thought, 'Why is he so hesitant to fly higher than that? When I challenged him to fly higher earlier, he actually looked scared,' Aipom shouting, "MACHOKE, GET UP BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"

It seemed like it might have been too late as Talonflame pointed his talons toward the boy's gut, spinning with flames surrounding his body as he spat, "SPINNING TOP INTERNO!" heading down toward the boy. But just as it seemed his attack was going to hit, Machoke quickly rolled to the side as Talonflame ended up digging his talons into the canvas, his flames leaving him as he eventually stopped spinning, now stuck in the material.

"How could I fall for something so stupid!?" he spat as the crowd resumed cheering, Lopunny smiling and saying, "Fiarrow may be strong, but he's not the smartest fighter in the world. Sure, he can come up with good strategies, but he's still full of himself and that could very well be his biggest weakness," Gardevoir replying, "Um, you know his name is Talonflame, right?" Lopunny shrugging and replying, "He'll always be Fiarrow the liar to me."

Scizor simply held her arm out and spat, "MACHOKE, DON'T LET THIS ADVANTAGE LEAVE YOU!" the boy remarking, "As if I'd do something like that!" before sending a hard kick into the back of Talonflame's head. The falcon grunted, trying desperately to free his talons when Machoke said, "Allow me," wrapping his arms around him and leaning backward, the falcon having been too focused on getting his feet out from the canvas to think straight, his talons soon free as his head hit the mat hard.

Machoke took a deep breath and got up, backing away from Talonflame a bit while holding up a fighter's stance and saying, "Come on, have at me!" Aipom smiling wide, so happy to see her student performing so well.

However, Talonflame laughed as he slowly rose back to his feet, saying, "I gotta hand it to you, Machoke, you really have surprised me. After all that pain and suffering, you actually managed to get a few really good hits on me, but none of this is good enough to take me down!" everyone staring as Lucario sighed, "He's right," Machoke asking, "What do you mean?"

"As you've seen, Talonflame is really strong," Lucario replied, "but so much so that only a really powerful move could possibly knock him out. You could keep connecting suplexes and brainbusters all you like, but it will never be enough to keep him down. He'll just keep getting up until he finds a way around your moves."

"But then how could I possibly beat him?" Machoke asked, his fear returning as he uttered, "The Muscle Tombstone is useless against him," Aipom nodding and replying, "There is a way you can beat him."

"She's right," Blaziken stated with a smile, "and while this method may be easier said than done, I think you can do it," Gallade and Gardevoir nodding as Gardevoir said, "I think I know what you mean," Lopunny replying, "Me too," Reika saying, "Yeah, it could work."

"What's everyone talking about?" Machoke asked as Aipom replied, "It's simple. I hate to say it, but Talonflame's right. The Muscle Tombstone is an old family move that has been seen many times. It's an easy attack to overcome for those with the right amount of power and skill, which Talonflame definitely possesses."

"So what can I do?" Machoke remarked as Aipom stated, "You have to come up with something new, your own original signature move," Machoke's eyes widening. But how could he possibly do that? He had been relying on techniques he had learned from others all his life. Could he really pull such a task off?

"Are you two done talking already?" Talonflame asked, folding his arms, "Seriously, it's rude to leave your opponent waiting," the falcon then flying toward Machoke, the boy attempting to counter with a karate chop only for Talonflame to grab his wrist, saying, "I'm not falling for that one again, kid!"

With that, the falcon proceeded to lift the boy above his head, hurling him hard into the turnbuckle. After that, he soared toward Machoke with his talons out and spun while flames surrounded his body shouting, "SPINNING TOP INFERNO!" sending his talons hard into Machoke's gut as blood flew from him just like before.

However, while this attack had helped Machoke a little bit before, now that he no longer needed a wake-up call, this was one of the worst things that he could be enduring at the moment. And to make matters worse, Lucario was right. Talonflame had now figured out Machoke's strategy. He would need to come up with something new, but what? What could he use that was not passed down from his family tree?

He would certainly need to think up something fast as Talonflame wrapped his arms around the boy saying, "I've had it up to here with you and your inability to stay down! I'm gonna take you down for good!" the bird taking to the air, yet strangely enough, he was not setting up for his Flare Blitz as his body had not burst into flame. Was he planning to humiliate Machoke by taking him down with a more simple move?

Whatever the case, Machoke was not going to let himself take in another devastating attack and as such, the boy shook off the pain from the Spinning Top Inferno and held his head back before reeling it forward into Talonflame's neck. This actually caused just enough pain for the bird to loosen his hold on Machoke as he proceeded to turn him around, flipping him upside-down.

"What are you doing, you moron?" Talonflame asked tauntingly, "You know this attack won't work, right!?" Machoke remarking, "I'm not using an ordinary Muscle Tombstone! I figured out a new signature move that I can use!"

Everyone stared in amazement as Machoke grabbed hold of Talonflame's ankles, spreading out his legs over the falcon's arms and wrapping them around them, Talonflame's eyes widening as Machoke smirked, saying, "Try getting out of this one!"

With that, the boy shouted, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE MACH TWO!" sending the falcon's head hard into the mat as the crowd went wild, the boy dropping him and taking many deep breaths, shouting, "I did it!"

"Wow, why didn't I think of that?" Aipom asked, "He sacrificed locking the head in place so he could ensure that Talonflame wouldn't be able to use his legs to escape."

But just as all was looking hopeful, Talonflame slowly recovered and rose to his feet saying, "You didn't come up with anything new or creative!" everyone staring in shock as the falcon added, "Honestly, I'm astounded it took you this long to come up with something so obvious. That's the only reason I was unable to respond was because I was shocked by how slow you were to come up with such a tactic."

Machoke trembled, his eyes wide as his mouth was hanging open, Talonflame smirking and saying, "If I'd been more ready, I could have easily countered that the same way I countered the original Muscle Tombstone. This is just a minor setback and mark my words, I won't let you land that attack again!"

Machoke was now trembling again as he uttered, "Oh no, that was all I could come up with in such a short time," Aipom now concerned as she rubbed her head, groaning, "I wish I could think of something!"

"What's left for Machoke to try?" Reika asked, Gallade suggesting, "How about the Ultimate Driver? He hasn't used that yet?" Blaziken remarking, "True, but for all we know, Talonflame probably has some kind of counter for that as well. If he can't come up with something truly original and effective, he might be doomed."

As much as it hurt the others to hear these words, Blaziken did have a point. Of course everyone wanted Machoke to win, but what could he possibly do?

Even Lucario was having trouble coming up with someone as Scizor asked, "Lucario, do you know of any weaknesses Talonflame might have? Maybe a part of him that was badly injured or a deep fear or something like that," Lucario shaking his head and replying, "I'm sorry, but I don't. I trained with him for a long time, but even in that time, I never discovered any major weaknesses."

"None whatsoever?" Scizor asked, Lucario nodding and adding, "From what I've seen, Talonflame is the closest to a perfect fighter. So far nothing has penetrated his mighty defence. I really hope Machoke can come up with something."

Talonflame flew toward Machoke and grabbed him by his shoulders, ramming him back-first into the turnbuckle when the boy then looked up thinking, 'I'm sorry, Dad. I couldn't beat him. I guess I've shamed the family name,' before looking very closely at the sun. His eyes widened when he started to get an idea.

With that in mind, the boy gritted his teeth, ignoring the paint to his back and spat, "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU BEAT ME!" before grabbing hold of Talonflame's shoulders and sending him high into the air. After that, he waited for just the right angle, everyone wondering what was up as the boy grinned, leaping up onto the ropes and launching himself upward toward the bird. With that, he proceeded to tuck himself in, spinning vertically before hitting Talonflame's back.

He then returned to his usual formation with his arms and legs reaching back to grab hold of Talonflame's wrists and ankles. Unfortunately, the falcon was too low for this to work as he asked, "What the hell was that?" grabbing hold of Machoke's ankle and hurling him hard against the mat.

"That's a good question," Reika uttered, "What was Machoke trying to do?" Gardevoir smiling lightly and replying, "He was about to use a new finishing move. He almost got it to work, too," Gallade sighing, "No offence, sis, but almost is hardly something to smile about when the opponent's this powerful."

Despite taking in quite a bit of pain from the hit, Machoke did not seem the least bit fazed as he said to himself, "Damn, I almost got that," before looking up at the sun and thinking, 'Alright, the angle was a bit off with my timing. I'll have to lower it just the little bit when I launch myself at him again. I also should work on the timing of my arms and legs to make sure I'm not taking too long with phase two.'

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Talonflame spat before diving hard into Machoke's back, hitting him hard with the heels of his feet. However, Machoke acted as if this pain meant nothing as he was so focused on getting his new move right that nothing else mattered right now.

"Got it!" Machoke exclaimed before getting back up, Talonflame barking, "ARE YOU GONNA PAY ATTENTION TO OUR FIGHT AGAIN!?" Machoke nodding as the falcon got close, the boy leaning backward and using his feet to send him flying into the air.

After that Machoke waited a bit more before launching himself off the ropes again, once again spinning like a rubber ball into Talonflame's back. Afterwards, he once again sent out his arms and legs only to just barely miss, the crowd still a bit confused as to what he was attempting. Talonflame responded by latching his legs onto Machoke's side and flipping him over, ramming his head hard into the mat for a frankensteiner.

The crowd gasped as Nori said, "I have no idea what Machoke was trying to accomplish there, but it seems it was in vain as he takes in a devastating frankensteiner from high above the mat," Weedle thinking, 'I know what you're trying to do, and I see potential there, but you'd better make it work just like your father would have.'

Machoke's face was bleeding again, but once again the boy hardly seemed to care. All the while, he was thinking, 'Okay, now I see what the real problem is. It wasn't the angle but my timing. I need to launch myself just a little bit earlier, but how much earlier?' the boy's eyes widening as he finally came to the answer.

Unfortunately, it was too late to try it out as Talonflame got behind him, wrapping his arms around the boy and shouting, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR CHILDISH GAMES!" everyone gasping as Aipom squeaked, "Oh no! He was so close!"

When everyone saw Talonflame's body burst into flame, they knew what was coming as Talonflame added, "I was merciful last time, but seeing as the rules no longer apply to this match, I'll make sure this next one kills you!" the falcon raising the height he had used for both Blaziken and Scyther.

Lucario winced and uttered, "It really is over, isn't it?" Scizor taking a deep breath and thinking, 'Scyther, stay strong. No matter what happens, try not to let it upset you too much.'

Everyone else was silent, Machoke's friends staring in absolute terror. Was this actually the end now? If this hit attacked, would even Machoke be able to get up from it?

"Hang in there, Machoke!" came a sophisticated British voice as everyone turned and noticed, of all beings, Bisharp standing among the crowd with another standing next to him, Scrafty, the lizard sporting a pair of shades.

"Man, we both get an early pardon from prison for good behaviour, and this is what we come back to!?" Scrafty snapped, Talonflame stopping his attack and groaning, "Oh god, not more traitors. What are they doing here?"

Machoke's eyes widened as Gardevoir smiled wide at Scrafty, the lizard grinning and giving the girl a wave before Bisharp sighed, "Please, Sir Scrafty, focus on the matter at hand," the lizard nodding and saying, "Machoke, you may not have been the one who defeated me, but I know how tough ya can be under the right circumstances. Talonflame is a tough one, believe me, we know, but I'm sure he has some sort of weakness ya can exploit!" Bisharp nodding and adding, "Sir Machoke, you are the greatest fighter I have met, a true miracle worker! You inspired me to join the side of good, and for that, I am grateful to you! I know you are not the kind to lose to a villain!"

The audience was shocked as Nori said, "And in a surprising turn, Scrafty and Bisharp seemed to have been released from Hero Planet's prison early and now they're trying to help Machoke! It just goes to show that the world is not completely black-and-white."

Hearing these words made Machoke want to win even more now, but what could he do. Just when it seemed hopeless, his eyes went wide when he remembered the sun. Not only had it inspired the idea for his new finisher, but it also helped him remember something he could try.

"Are you guys done talking yet!?" Talonflame grunted, "Because I don't wanna feel like I'm interrupting something!" the falcon just about to perform his U-turn when Machoke asked, "Why don't you go higher?"

All went silent as Blaziken asked, "Did he just suggest what I think he did?" Machoke adding, "I notice this is the highest you've ever allowed yourself to fly, but you know you can go higher than this. Why not take advantage of that? You know, really make sure your attack kills me."

"Shut up!" Reika snapped, "Don't give him ideas!" Keiko replying, "I don't think that's what's happening at all," Lucario actually understanding as he thought, 'I can't believe it. It's been staring me in the face yet it took Machoke to help me realize it, Talonflame's one weakness.'

And it showed as Talonflame looked completely unwilling to fly higher before remarking, "I'm sure I don't need to!" Machoke asking in a taunting voice, "What are you, chicken? You say Blaziken doesn't deserve the Texas Phoenix title, but you're even worse. I'm sure if she could fly, she'd be willing to take full advantage of it."

The others turned to the chicken who shrugged and replied, "Actually, he's right. I wouldn't be afraid of flying any distance," Talonflame fuming and retorting, "FINE, YOU GOT YOUR WISH, BUDDY, BUT DON'T FORGET IT WAS YOU WHO SIGNED YOUR OWN DEATH WARRANT!"

With that, the bird flew high above the mat, but just as he was about to perform a U-turn, sweat started to run down his face as he looked down at how low the mat was to his position. His eyes were wide open as he then remembered a story he had been told as a child, 'The Boy Who Flew Too High'. He remembered how in the story, Icarus was given wings made by his father out of wax so that the two could escape from prison. However, Icarus flew too close to the sun and his wings burned.

Talonflame always wished this was not true about himself, but that story had scarred him for life when he read it. Whenever he flew, he would always stick with a certain maximum height and never exceed it in the fear that his wings might turn up as well, even though they were not made of wax and he was a fire type and probably would have handled it. He had hoped that with time, this fear would have left him but it never did.

As such, his flame stopped as he released his hold on Machoke while shouting, "NO!" his wings coming to halt as he had now convinced himself they should not have been working and started to descend shortly after Machoke did.

"I see now," Lucario said, "Machoke noticed something we didn't, and who would have guessed? All these years, Talonflame was scared of heights."

"That's right," a female in the audience said, "When we went on the elevator ride with him, he was absolutely terrified when we got to the top and started descending. I thought it was just the high momentum that scared him, not the height itself."

And Machoke knew just how to take further advantage of this as he smirked, shifting his weight so he was now headed quickly toward the ropes. He could not let this chance leave him, especially with Talonflame still in complete shock, clearly unable to bring himself to retaliate just yet.

With that, Machoke managed to get to the ropes, getting the angle just right as he launched himself off and rolled up into a ball, spinning vertically toward Talonflame and hitting him hard in the back. The crowd watched in silence as the boy reverted to his regular state and finally managed to lock Talonflame's ankles and wrists in placed with his arms and legs, both fighters' backs facing each other.

With that, Machoke applied just enough force to start spinning Talonflame around, both looking like a floating wheel now as Machoke thought, 'I gotta get the timing just right,' finding the perfect moment to descend toward the mat, everyone staring as he shouted, "SUNSET SLAM!" Talonflame's belly colliding with the canvas, his eyes wide open as he coughed up blood, Machoke ending the move by releasing the falcon's legs and grabbing hold of his head, slamming it hard in the mat.

Everyone stared in silence as Aipom bit her lower lip, letting down tears and thinking, 'I can't believe it! He actually did it! He actually thought up his own finishing move!' the audience breaking out into heavy cheering as Gardevoir and Lopunny squealed with excitement, both of them hugging Gallade tightly as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, the boy groaning, "Can't breathe!" Blaziken whistling and shouting, "YOU'RE THE MAN, MACHOKE!"

Scrafty and Bisharp both nodded, Scrafty with a big grin on his face as he said, "Ya did it, kid," Reika and her friends along with her mother cheering the loudest of everyone.

However, everyone panicked when Talonflame slowly rose back to his feet, blood coming down his face as he grinned, laughing maniacally and saying, "Wow, you just never give up, do you!?" Machoke trembling as he added, "You always get back up no matter what happens! You're incredible! I want to fight you for all eternity," the falcon coughing up one last bit of blood and adding, "Unfortunately, I can't," before finally losing all consciousness and falling forward.

After a few seconds of silence, Weedle took a deep breath and nodded at Nori, the woman smiling and ringing the bell before shouting, "OUR WINNER AND CHAMPION OF THE NEXT GEN BATTLE IS MACHOKE, THEREFOR HE AND HIS FRIENDS WILL REMAIN STATIONED IN TOKYO!" the crowd bursting out into heavy cheers and applause, Machoke raising his arms in the air with a big smile on his face.

This was the most satisfied he had ever felt after winning a match, and it made sense. This was the toughest battle he had ever fought and not only had he come out on top, he had also created his own finishing move thus adding a new one to the family tree.

Aipom leapt into the ring before jumping onto Machoke's head, hugging it while squeaking, "I am so proud of you, Machoke! You're the greatest student a monkey could ever ask for!"

Reika waved her arms in the air shouting, "YOU'RE AWESOME, MACHOKE!" Gardevoir adding, "YOU ROCK!" before turning to Gallade and asking, "It's still considered cool to say that, right?" Gallade nodding and shouting the same thing. Blaziken also held her fist out and exclaimed, "Way to go, Machoke!" Lopunny all the while letting down light tears and sniffing, "Thank you for fulfilling your promise."

Scizor also let out a sigh of relief, knowing Scyther could no longer feel bad about having worked alongside Talonflame. Lucario also had a light smile on his face but quickly hid it as he got up from his seat, exiting the area while everyone was too distracted by the results of the fight to notice.

Of course, Weedle wasted no time calling in a group of officers from Hero Planet to bind Talonflame in chains and place him in the back of a spaceship to be sent to prison. There was no way they would give someone so dangerous a chance to escape.

Aipom eventually let go of Machoke's face when her hug was making him suffocate, Weedle crawling into the ring while holding a trophy with his tail. Machoke stared wide-eyed as the caterpillar said, "It's hard for me to say this, but thank you, Machoke," the boy grinning and asking, "What was that? I couldn't quite hear that."

Weedle rolled his eyes and grumbled curses before stating, "You have done a wonderful thing for the world. I was too much of a coward to even make an effort, but you singlehandedly brought one of the most dangerous criminals in the galaxy to justice. And because you're our champion, well, please accept this," the caterpillar holding out the trophy as Machoke took a hold of it with a grin, Weedle holding onto it tightly as the boy started applying more force. Eventually, the two started a tug of war with the trophy, Weedle still not caring enough for Machoke's family to just hand a trophy over to one of them.

Scrafty simply chuckled and said, "That guy really is something else," Gardevoir running over to him and giving him a hug, the lizard's eyes widening as he asked, "What's all this about?" Gardevoir squeaking, "You came to give your support! You really have joined the side of good!" the lizard sighing, "Are you implying that you doubted me?" the two laughing as Bisharp said, "Yes, he and I will make a good team fighting for the side of good."

And with the tournament finally having come to a close, it was time for Scyther, Lopunny and Heracross to be relocated. Since they worked together well enough, Weedle agreed to let them stay remain as a team and had assigned them to Los Angeles, Machoke all the while envious that they got to live in LA of all places.

"It's been really nice meeting you guys," Lopunny said, giving Gardevoir a hug and saying, "Sorry for being so rough on you," the girl giggling and replying, "That's okay. You were just doing what you had to."

"Thank you for showing me the light, Machoke," Heracross said before bowing his head, Scyther all the while apologizing for everything she had done, especially giving Gallade a permanent scar across his torso as he simply laughed and said, "Don't worry. If anything, this makes me look more badass."

And with that, the trio said their goodbyes and took off, Talonflame of course not with them now that he was behind bars and unable to bother anyone. And with that, everything was right again as Machoke and his friends would be fighting alongside each other always and nothing would come between them again.


	27. Chapter 27

It had been a week since The Next Gen Battle had ended and things were rather peaceful in Tokyo again. As such, Machoke and his friends once again decided to meet up downtown for some free time, though they did swear never to skip out on the Hero Planet sparring matches again. They knew what would happen and did not want a repeat.

However, Gardevoir had something important she needed to tell the group today, so when the group headed to the club, they figured that was the right time for her to say what she needed to. After all, the group was always their most comfortable there.

"So, Gallade, any idea what this news is?" Blaziken asked, Gallade shrugging and replying, "Honestly, she hasn't told me anything about this yet," Machoke turning to Gardevoir and saying, "It must be pretty big if you need all of us together before telling your brother."

"It is," Gardevoir said with a sigh, "I'm going to be taking a trip to Paris," everyone staring in shock as Gallade asked, "You mean Paris as in back home?"

The girl nodded, pursing her lower lips as Blaziken asked, "What's the occasion?" Gardevoir replying, "I want to speak to Mommy," Gallade replying, "I understand that, but I think a long-distance call would be less expensive than a flight back to France."

"Let her finish," Machoke said as Gallade stared, the boy shrugging and saying, "Yeah, I can tell there's more to this than we think," Gardevoir smiling lightly at Machoke before adding, "The reason I'm going back is to ask her about my power. I feel like she might know something about it."

"What do you need to know that you don't already know?" Gallade asked, "You know it's powerful and that it only comes out under dire circumstances," Gardevoir replying, "I want to learn how to control it."

Everyone stared silently and slowly nodded in understanding. That made perfect sense. After all, the power worked on its own, not with her influence. If she could control it, one could only imagine how much it could help her.

Soon enough, the girl was at the airport, her flight only minutes away. Of course everyone came to see her off, Aipom and Reika wishing her the best of luck. Gallade asked if she was certain of going off on her own without him to watch her as the girl stated that she figured maybe being more independent and not relying so much on others to help her would be a step in the right direction.

After giving everyone a hug, the girl boarded the plane and took off for Paris. It was the first time she would do anything without her brother by her side and while it scared her, it just seemed like the right thing to do. If she was going to be stronger, she needed to act stronger.

Gardevoir took a seat next to the window trying to act calm. Having always had someone by her side her whole life, she would need some time to get used to being alone. This was a new and scary experience for her but she was certain she would get through it.

She even put on a light smile when she noticed a middle-aged man take the seat next to her, the girl deciding to at least try to make the best of the situation. With that in mind, the girl simply squeaked, "Hi, I'm Gardevoir."

The man looked at her, the girl trying her best not to act scared when he did. The man barely looked human with his stocky build and is long raven hair that did not cover his forehead. He also had this menacing look in his eyes, bags underneath them as if this person had not slept in a long time.

However, just as Gardevoir was about to regret getting on the plane, the boy simply held out his hand and said, "Hello, I'm Kuro. Nice to meet you," Gardevoir blinking before her smile returned, the girl taking his hand as he closed his hand, being surprisingly gentle with his grip as the two lightly shook hands.

The two actually hit it off rather well, having a very nice conversation with each other. Kuro proved to be a very nice and friendly man as Gardevoir truly felt at ease. There was no doubt that she would certainly enjoy her flight to Paris. And because Kuro was so nice, Gardevoir had no problem sharing her purpose for going on this trip.

"I thought you looked familiar," the man said, "I've seen you on TV. You and your friends have done a lot of good for Tokyo," Gardevoir smiling sweetly and replying, "Thanks," the man then saying, "Though honestly, I never caught onto the problems you have with that power of yours. I always thought you just chose to save it for the right moments, you know, catch the opponent off-guard."

Gardevoir shook her head and replied, "No, it's pretty much a random thing," the girl then looking out the window and adding, "If Mommy can't tell me how to control it, I don't think anyone can," Kuro patting the girl on the shoulder and replying, "I'm certain she can. After all, you had to have gotten that power from someone in the family."

Eight hours into the flight, it was midnight in Tokyo, Gardevoir trying to remember what time it would be in France. During her time in Japan, she had not once looked into the difference in time, so she did not know whether or not it would still be bedtime when she arrived. Either way, since it was that late in Tokyo, the girl naturally felt tired as she fell asleep, Kuro going to sleep as well.

After four hours, the intercom came on as the pilot's voice entered the area saying, "We are now approaching Paris, France. We will be landing shortly, Gardevoir yawning and groaning, "But I'm still tired," Kuro simply smiling and replying, "Well, you best not let that get the better of you. After all, you still have something to do, right?"

The girl nodded and replied, "That's right. Thanks for reminding me, Mister Kuro, sir," the two shaking hands as the plane landed. Shockingly enough, it was actually eight in the morning here as opposed to Tokyo where it was, of course, four.

The two said their goodbyes before taking off on their own journey. Gardevoir took a deep breath and thought, 'Well, here I am, back in Paris all by myself,' the girl then putting on a serious look, adding in her mind, 'But that's okay. If I'm going to become stronger, I need to be more independent.'

With that, the girl walked through the area with a big smile on her face. Whether she was alone or not, it was certainly nice to be back. She wondered if anyone even remembered her.

While walking along, her eyes widened when she noticed a white beagle with a tail like a paintbrush. His ears were brown and the top of his head was shaped just like a beret and he had a green paw print on his back, which was the same colour on the tip of his tail, which he was currently using to paint a portrait.

Gardevoir walked behind him with her hands behind her back, smiling while looking at his picture and noticing it was of the area right in front of him. It looked so expertly and he managed to paint it perfectly really quickly, so one could only imagine he had not spent long making it.

"Bonjour, Smeargle!" Gardevoir squeaked as the dog's eyes widened, his tail slipping as he ended up putting a streak across his painting, his jaw dropped as he groaned, "Zut alors! Look what you've done to my wonderful painting, you crazy-" only to stop when he turned and noticed her.

At that very moment, his eyes sparkled as he gave the girl a hug, kissing her on both cheeks as Gardevoir giggled, saying, "I almost forgot that's how we greet each other here," the girl then kissing him on the cheeks back.

"It is so nice to see you, mon amis," the beagle stated with a big smile, "I've seen your matches and you are tres magnifique!" Gardevoir blushing a bit before replying, "Merci beaucoup," Smeargle then blinking and asking, "But, um, where is your brother? You never go anywhere without him."

"I decided to come alone," Gardevoir replied with a sigh before adding, "I'm surprised to see you here, though. Aren't you attending hero school?" the dog grinning and replying, "Oui, I graduated with flying colours!" the girl blinking as he sighed, "You got me. I barely made it out alive."

"So are you just visiting Paris too?" Gardevoir asked as Smeargle shook his head, replying, "Non. I feel so lucky. They actually assigned me to protect Paris," the girl's eyes widening as she replied, "Wow, that is lucky. No one who graduated from my class got that kind of result."

The girl then bit her lip and asked, "Are you the only one who remembers me?" Smeargle remarking, "Why would you even think that? Everyone remembers you. Every now and then, we get together and talk about you and how much you've impressed everyone with your fighting skills."

"Actually, that's kind of why I came here-" Gardevoir stated as Smeargle cut in, exclaiming, "We should get together for brunch! Have you eaten yet today?" the girl blinking and replying, "Actually, no I haven't," Smeargle laughing and replying, "Well, come along, mon amis. It's my treat," the girl saying, "You've always been so kind," giving Smeargle a hug as he groaned, "And your hugs have always been surprisingly deadly."

While the two walked toward a nearby restaurant, Smeargle having called up his friends, Gardevoir asked, "So, are you protecting Paris alone?" Smeargle remarking, "Are you crazy? You know there's no way I could pull that off," Gardevoir giggling as he remarked, "I mean, I have someone here to help me out, but only when I really need it," the girl asking, "Who is it?" the beagle replying, "You'll be meeting her soon enough."

And with that, the two arrived at the restaurant, a group of humans, two girls and one boy, approaching and waving to Smeargle as he signalled them over, all three of them noticing Gardevoir and immediately greeting her. The girls kissed Gardevoir on one cheek each as the boy knelt down and kissed her on the hand, saying, "I have longed for your return, fair Gardevoir."

The girl giggled and squeaked, "You're always been so dramatic with your greetings, Henri," before smiling sweetly at the girls and adding, "And it's nice to see you two again," the girls being named Holly and Clare.

"Where is Gallade?" Holly asked as Smeargle replied, "Gardevoir has courageously come here on her own! I know, it's shocking, oui?" Clare gasping, "Oh my god! You really are getting stronger!" Gardevoir giggling again as the group entered the restaurant.

As they took a seat, Gardevoir looked around and asked, "So, where's your ally?" Smeargle replying, "She's in the building. You just need to wait," Henri nodding and replying, "Oui, she works here parts time," Gardevoir asking, "Oh, is she a waiter?"

The question was soon answered when a man stepped up onto a stage exclaiming, "Bonjour, ladies and gentlemen! I am pleased to welcome Mademoiselle Florges!" the people clapping when a curtain rose up, a young humanoid flower standing there. Naturally, her lower body was green like a stem. Her upper body was snow white, her head round with a point representing her nose and two long ears shaped like teardrops. Her eyes were frames with lengthy green eyelashes as her lower body actually resembled a mermaid's tail with two big leaves coming up from the sides. Resting behind her head was a big bouquet of red flowers as she wore a necklace made from flowers with the same colour.

Gardevoir's eyes sparkled as she whispered, "She's pretty," the others nodding as the girl cleared her throat, holding up a microphone and singing, "The skies are blue, the flowers bloom in the wonderful city of Paris," some boys in the audience whistling at her as she added, "Birds, they sing, wedding bells ring in the beautiful city of Paris."

The girl then replaced her red necklace with a blue one, her bouquet actually turning blue as Gardevoir stared in shock, Florges stepping off the stage and adding, "Paris is a wonderful place, it's the one place I adore," the girl then winking at one of the boys as he started panting like a puppy while she continued, "It's full of wonder and magic! It's the city of amour!"

Everyone continued to watch her walk around and sing more of the song, Gardevoir feeling so envious right now. She wished she could find the courage to get up on stage and sing someday, but she was not even sure if she had the voice for it.

As the song went on, the tone shifted many times, and each time this happened, Florges would change her flower necklace to fit the tone. And every time this happened, her bouquet would change to that exact colour, Smeargle whispering to Gardevoir that this was one of her special powers. It was not exactly useful in combat, but it was still interesting.

When the song got mellow and slow, she would change her bouquet white. When it got faster in tone, she'd change to yellow. And during the final moments where it got louder and more intense, she changed her bouquet to orange, ultimately ending with the red bouquet as the audience clapped and cheered.

After that, the girl took a deep breath and walked over saying, "Hey, there, Smeargle," the beagle replying, "Bonjour to you too, Mademoiselle," kissing her hand and adding, "You were tres magnifique as always."

Gardevoir was still staring at her as the flower girl noticed her and said, "This must be your friend, Gardevoir. I've heard great things about you. I would have seen you on TV, but I get quite a number of shifts here when I'm not fighting evil."

"That's okay," Gardevoir replied before sighing, "You're such a good singer. I wish I could be like that," Florges blinking and asking, "How about you try in front of me in a little bit? My shift ends in a few minutes."

"Oui, you should take that," Henri said, Clare and Holly nodding as Gardevoir sighed, "I'd love to, but I can't. I have somewhere I need to be right now," Smeargle asking, "Wait, you came here on business?"

"I tried to tell you earlier," Gardevoir stated, "See, I came here to see Mommy because I figure she would know about my powers," Florges asking, "Powers?" Smeargle replying, "I told you about that, remember? Her hands glow and she becomes super strong," Clare nodding and saying, "It's so cool."

"Yeah, but I can't really control it," Gardevoir replied, "It only comes when I need it. On one hand, it's nice that my power doesn't take control of me when it activates, but at the same time, I don't want to have to take in a heavy beating before being able to use it."

The others looked at her as she added, "Before, I was trying to avoid having to use it, but this power is a blessing that's supposed to help me. I feel there's no need to fear using something so helpful, especially since it is my power."

"What exactly are you saying?" Holly asked as Gardevoir replied, "I want to learn how to control it and I think Mommy might know how."

Florges nodded and replied, "Well, it's only ten. I'm sure your mother will still be home and awake by the time you get back," Gardevoir unsure or whether or not to take the offer when Smeargle said, "It's up to you, mon amis. Don't feel like you have to," the beagle then shooting a glance at the others and adding, "Right, guys?"

The others nodded as Florges sighed, "He's right. You should be allowed to choose," Gardevoir looking at the time and smiling lightly before saying, "You know what? I think I can afford to take a little break."

Once Florges' shift had ended, Gardevoir headed backstage where the flower girl was waiting for her. Her friends decided to stick around for moral support as Florges handed Gardevoir some sheet music while telling her to sing the song written on it. To help her out, she provided musical accompaniment with a piano.

Gardevoir took a deep breath and sang a few notes in a perfect tone of voice before stopping herself, holding her hands against her mouth and blushing brightly. She whimpered as the others stared, Florges asking, "Why did you stop?"

"Because I'm not very good," the girl whimpered as Florges replied, "Are you kidding? That was beautiful," Gardevoir turning to the others as they nodded.

"No, you're just saying that," Gardevoir said in a quiet voice as Clare rolled her eyes, remarking, "No, we mean it. That was really good. Keep going."

The girl bit her lip and nodded lightly, Florges starting up the piano as Gardevoir sang again. This time, she sang the entire song as she knew her friends wanted her to. She managed to hit all the right notes with a tone that rivalled that of Florges.

Soon, the song ended as she sighed, "How was that?" her friends applauding her as Florges said, "Trust me, girl, you should try going onstage sometime. I think you're made for it," Gardevoir smiling and replying, "I'll take your word for it, but I have other plans on how I'm going to use my singing voice in the future, and it will be in front of millions."

With all said and done, Gardevoir took her leave, waving to her friends, Smeargle saying, "Well, that was certainly nice, seeing her again," Clare replying, "Yeah, I hope she decides to come visit again someday."

Soon enough, Gardevoir was standing before a beautiful white house with a lovely garden. She bit her lower lip and sighed, thinking, 'Okay, you can do this,' before walking toward the house. However, when she got to the door, a big smile crossed her face as she squealed with excitement, pressing her finger five times against the button for the doorbell. Despite her initial nervousness, she was actually really excited to see her parents again after well over a month.

After a few seconds, the doorknob opened as Gardevoir's smile got bigger, a man Gardevoir's height standing there. He had green leaf-like hair covering his eyes but was still able to see through it. His spikes were rounded and sticking out the front and back of his head. His entire body resembled a white nightgown and his arms had no actual hands on the end of them.

"DADDY!" Gardevoir squealed, the man's eyes widening as he smiled, saying, "Gardevoir, you're back!" the two giving each other a hug as he asked, "What are you doing here?" Gardevoir replying, "I came for a visit," a big smile on her face as she asked, "Is Mommy home?"

The man nodded and called out, "Kirlia, honey! Come quick! You won't believe who's here!" a feminine voice entering the area and asking, "Who is it, Ralts, dear?"

The man, Ralts let out a sigh and exclaimed, "I'm calling you in here because it's a surprise!" the woman replying, "Oh, why didn't you say so?" before entering, her eyes widening as she gasped.

Kirlia was a beautiful young woman. Like Gardevoir and Ralts, her body was a mix of white and green. However, unlike Gardevoir, her upper body was more like a tutu than a gown. Like Ralts, her spikes were on top of her head only these ones were located on the sides. Her hair was more similar to that of Gardevoir only the sides were long and went past her shoulders. And unlike Gardevoir who had more human-like hands, Gardevoir only had two fingers on each of hers. Her lower body was also green with her feet resembling ballet shoes.

A warm smile formed on her face as she said, "I thought I wouldn't see you again for a while, Gardevoir," the two giving each other a big hug as Ralts asked, "Want me to put the kettle on, dear?" Kirlia nodding and replying, "Yes. I'm sure our daughter would love some tea," Gardevoir nodding with a sweet smile.

Once the tea was ready, Kirlia brought out a rich cake with vanilla frosting for the family to enjoy with their drink. While the family enjoyed their treats, Gardevoir told her parents about many recent events. Of course her parents already knew about her matches, but many other things were different.

"So you came all the way out here without Gallade by your side," Ralts said, "I still can't believe it," Kirlia looking at Gardevoir and saying, "You know, that collar really suits you," Gardevoir blinking and saying, "Yeah, it's a reminder of my first victory here on Earth."

"Well, whatever the case, that Machoke has good taste," Ralts said, Kirlia then crossing her legs and saying, "By the way, Gardevoir, is there another reason you came here?"

Gardevoir blinked and took a deep breath before nodding her head. She had come all this way to learn about her power and she could not forget about that no matter how much she was enjoying herself right now.

"Mommy," Gardevoir said, "I found out some time ago that I have a power hidden deep inside of me," Kirlia's eyes going wide as the girl added, "Whenever I'm in serious trouble, my hands glow violet and I become stronger."

"I guess I should have told you about this long ago," Kirlia replied with a smile, "Yes, that power has been passed down through our family for generations, though for some reason, only the girls have it, never the guys," Ralts remarking, "Yeah, I'd be envious except I'm not related to your mother by blood."

Gardevoir nodded and said, "I was hoping maybe you could teach me how to control it," Kirlia blinking, her daughter looking so hopeful right now as the woman sighed, "I'm sorry, honey, but I can't."

Gardevoir's eyes went wide, a mortified look on her face as her mother took a deep breath, saying, "The truth is, I never learned to control the power either. I simply tried to fight as well as I could without it and relied on it whenever I could. I never learned how to bring it out at any given time. I tried to learn to control it, I really did, but I found out it's impossible to activate it whenever I want."

Gardevoir looked down and nodded with a sigh, Ralts turning to Kirlia as the woman took a deep breath, saying, "But honey, don't let that discourage you. I can tell just by looking at you that you've been increasing your strength, so I can only assume you've been training to win matches without relying on the power, right?"

Gardevoir nodded as Kirlia added, "Well, I say keep at it. Maybe someday you will win a match without relying on the power, and if you find yourself always needing it, there's no shame in that. It's meant to help you in battle and that's what it should do, right?" Gardevoir smiling lightly and nodding her head.

And with all said and done, Gardevoir was about to take her leave so she could catch the next plane back to Tokyo. She gave her parents one last hug before saying goodbye and headed off, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. Sure, she did not get what she wanted, but she felt like it hardly mattered. After all, her power was nothing to fear and if it only worked when she needed it to, then so be it. She would just try her best without the power and use it to the best of her abilities when needed.


	28. Chapter 28

A few days after Gardevoir's trip to Paris, something was up in Japan, mainly Osaka. Somewhere in the middle of the city, four strangers dressed in cloaks were standing around in an alleyway. But who were these people and what were they up to?

This would soon become clear when a young boy entered the alleyway and said, "Alright, I'm here," one of them nodding and asking in a masculine tone, "Did you bring it?" the boy nodding and replying, "Yes, but it wasn't easy. I could get in huge trouble if my dad found out I took this from his museum."

With that, the boy pulled out a golden mask with two long points sticking out of its sides. Wherever this had come from originally, it certainly looked valuable and even a bit intimidating. But what could these strangers possibly want with it?

"Thank you," said another stranger with a low feminine voice saying, "You have served us very well and for that, we shall give you what we promised."

The third cloaked figure stepped forward with a box and said in a slightly higher feminine tone, "This should more than make up for the mask," the boy smiling and saying, "Yeah, this makes it all worth it."

However, when he opened it up, all that was inside was a letter saying, 'You've been bamboozled', the boy's eyes going wide as he dropped the box shouting, "GIVE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW!" only for the forth figure to strike him on the back of the head with a karate chop, knocking him out cold.

"I am sorry, but this was necessary," the figure stated before dropping him a coin for one-hundred yen and adding, "This should at least make up for it to a certain degree."

"You're far too generous, master," one of the strangers said as forth figure sighed, "I may be a criminal, but I'm not heartless," another figure shrugging and saying, "Whatever. We got what we came for, so let's just get going already."

On that note, all four headed off into the night. But at this exact same moment, Throh and Sawk were walking by, the two headed home from a late night showing of a new action movie. Both were feeling very positive about it knowing they would have awesome dreams tonight.

However, Sawk stopped in the middle of the walk when they passed by the alleyway, the blue boy tapping his brother's shoulder as Throh turned, his eyes going wide. With that, both ran over to the boy as he slowly regained consciousness, rubbing the back of his head while both heroes helped him back up.

"Are you okay?" Throh asked as the boy nodded and replied, "Yeah. I'm glad you two are here," Sawk asking, "Who did this to you?"

"Three girls and one boy, all wearing cloaks," the boy replied, "They said they'd pay me an awesome sum if I could bring them something from the museum. See, my dad's the owner, so I know how to break in," Throh frowning and shaking his head, replying, "You should never commit illegal actions, especially if it's for money."

"I know," the boy groaned, rubbing the back of his head, "but you guys should hurry and go after them. What they had me steal was no small find," Sawk asking, "Then what is it?" the human replying, "The mask of Giratina."

Their eyes widened as Sawk turned to his brother, saying, "I've heard about that. Giratina was a horrible monster who terrorized the world all by himself. The only one who ever managed to beat him was the great hero Arceus," Throh nodding and saying, "We can't let them get away with something so precious. For all we know, this could be more than just a simple theft."

With that, both heroes knelt down, folding their legs and cupping their hands together, the human boy blinking and asking, "What are you doing?" Sawk holding up a hand to shush him before opening his eyes and saying, "I know where they went," Throh nodding and getting up, saying, "Let's go," the two taking off from the alleyway.

As it just so happened, Throh and Sawk had somewhat of a spiritual connection to the world around them. However, it was limited to whatever was close and they could only focus on one thing at a time. In fact, they were simply following the energy patterns of one of the perpetrators, going in with the assumption that the other three were with her. It was fortunate that their assumption was correct.

As for where the cloaked figures had gone, they were currently at a local train station. Not a subway station where the bullet trains ran but the kind for freight trains. Why they chose this particular means of travel was anyone's guess, though it could have been due to the fact that subways were much more popular these days making them less likely to get caught here.

"Where is he?" one of them whined, starting to move her body as a means of overpowering her impatience. Another simply shrugged and replied, "He'll get here when he gets here. Calm down," the one who had knocked out the boy adding, "She is correct. We need to be patient. After all, that boy has no clue where we went, so even if he does find help, he won't be of much use."

Soon enough, a freight train came by, the girls smiling under their cloaks. It seemed their ride was finally here.

The conductor poked his head out and said, "Hey, guys, your ride is here, though don't forget how much you owe me. I feel like I shouldn't be doing this," the cloaked girls simply nodding and handing him a box, this one with actual money in it instead of just another trick before getting onto the train.

However, as the train started up, Throh and Sawk had arrived just in time as the two nodded at each other and leaped onto one of the box cars. Luckily, trains started up slowly enough for this not to be too dangerous, though now they would surely have to be careful.

"Well, we're in the clear," one of the cloaked figures said as another took a deep breath, sighing, "Finally. I don't have to wear this cloak anymore," the strangers all removing them to reveal their true forms, and sure enough, they were not human.

One was a tan-coloured boxer with five blunt protrusions coming out of her head. She had no nose and wore a purple tunic and kilt. Her shoulders had pieces of skin that resembled shoulder pads covering them. Her name was Hitmonchan.

The second had more of an ovoid body and no visible mouth. His head actually blended with his body quite well. His body was mostly brown but her arms and legs were white and kind of resembled human spines. With three fingers on each hand and three claws on his feet, this was Hitmonlee.

The third looked a tad more human-like than Hitmonlee but not quite as much as Hitmonchan. Her torso was shaped more like a perfect sphere and her eyes with black dots with little white ones in the middle. Her legs were incredibly skinny and her feet and hands were also spheres, though her feet with have flat spots on the bottom so she could stand. Each foot had two claws on the front and one claw on the back and she also had a long tail with a blue sphere on the end of it with a spike sticking up out of it. She also had a spike atop her head and flaps of skin hanging off the sides that resembled hair. Her name was Hitmontop.

The last member of the group looked a lot different from the other three. She looked more like a yoga instructor than a fighter as she wore puffy red pants with yellow dots on the knee areas. The rest of her body was grey and skinny save for the top of her head which had a red head piece on it with three bulb-like extensions coming out. With small pink lips that seemed to be permanently puckered, her name was Medicham.

"I never thought we'd get to take those off," Hitmontop sighed, using her tail like a stool and using the spike to stay balanced, Hitmonchan nodding and saying, "I hate to say it, but I agree. It was very hot in those things," Hitmonlee remarking, "If you ask me, you two are just a couple of babies."

The two glared at him as Hitmonchan pointed her fist at his face saying, "Just because you're our brother doesn't mean we'll let you talk about us that way!" Hitmonlee narrowing his eyelids and striking a fighting pose only for Hitmontop to spread her legs out, spinning like a top and getting between the two, sending both back a little bit by kicking them each in the gut.

"Stop it!" the girl snapped, "Why do you always have to fight when we're not under cover!?" the two sighing, "I'm sorry," Medicham rolling her eyes and saying, "Thank you, Hitmontop. We need to cooperate if we're going to pull this off," the girl holding up the mask and saying, "We'll be renowned far and wide once we pull this off. We could be regarded as the greatest villains of the new generation."

"Damn straight," Hitmonlee said with a chuckle, "This is gonna be awesome," Medicham's eyes widening as she held up her hand, saying, "Wait, I feel something."

"Is it a bowel movement?" Hitmonchan asked, Hitmontop saying, "Nice," the two giving each-other a high five as Medicham sighed, "No, there's someone else on this train, and they're on top of the cars. I want two of you to go and see who it is."

Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan looked at one-another and nodded, Hitmonlee poking his head out an open window and grabbing onto the wall of the train. Hitmonchan then grabbed his legs as her brother flipped upward, propelling her onto the roof before landing against it.

However, it appeared no one was here as Hitmonchan suggested, "They're probably on one of the other cars," the two running along the roof and leaping into one of basket cars, the ones that did not have walls or doors for their cargo. Since the train was not being used to transport goods, it was empty so they could walk around on it.

Once again, it appeared no one was here as the two were about to head for another one only for Sawk to suddenly come up from behind one of the sides and send a hard kick into Hitmonchan's cheek, sending her flying off of the train. Before Hitmonlee could respond, Throh came out of hiding as well as he wrapped his arms around the boy from behind and tossed him backwards, sending him careening off the side.

"That was a little too easy," Throh said with a sigh before shrugging and adding, "but at least we took care of two of them. Let's find the others."

But just as the brothers were about to do so, their eyes widened when Hitmonlee performed an incredible jump that was strong enough to help him catch up with the train while holding Hitmonchan's arm. However, while the two had easily gotten back on, they still breathed a sigh of relief after doing so. Clearly, despite their cool attitude, they were still a little frightened after being sent off of a moving train like that.

"I have no idea who you two are, but you are going to pay for that!" Hitmonlee spat, Hitmonchan nodding and adding, "Yeah, you have no idea who you're messing with," before smiling at Sawk and adding, "Though I'll admit, that foot of yours does have a nice roughness to it," Sawk and Hitmonlee staring at the girl as her brother uttered, "I wish I could unhear that."

"Oh, shut up!" Hitmonchan retorted, "You're just jealous!" Hitmonlee remarking, "What are you implying!?" the girl blinking and uttering, "I just realized how awkward that sounded. Sorry," Throh and Sawk staring silently as the two villains regained focus and turned their attention back to the heroes.

"State your names!" Sawk exclaimed, holding a fighter's stance, "I prefer to know the names of my opponents before I face them in a true fight," Hitmonlee shrugging and replying, "He may not have asked nicely, but I like that he at least thought about it, so I think they deserve to know," the boy then sending a few high kicks to the air before stating, "I am Hitmonlee!"

Hitmonchan proceeded to punch the air a couple of times before striking a cute pose and winking at Sawk adding, "I'm Hitmonchan," Sawk wincing as Throh nudged him, laughing deviously and whispering, "She's totally coming onto you, bro," the blue fighter groaning, "Thanks, but I already caught onto that."

Even so, the karate master shook his head and said, "We are twin brothers. I am Sawk," Throh adding, "And I am Throh!" both stating together, "And with our combined powers, we will stop whatever it is you're planning!"

Hitmonchan simply blew a kiss at Sawk before adding, "I love a man of action," Hitmonlee remarking, "Seriously, stop it! You're freaking me out!" Hitmonchan sighing, "Alas, you are right. I'll take the red one instead," the brother sighing, "Thank you."

With that, the two rushed at Throh and Sawk only for the brothers to unleash their counterattacks. However, when Sawk sent out a karate chop, Hitmonlee easily blocked it with his leg, the leg taking in no pain whatsoever almost as if it was made of bones. In fact, the force of his leg was so strong that it was enough to knock Sawk on his back.

Throh attempted to grab Hitmonchan only for the girl to back away when he closed his arms inward, taking full advantage of this and sending a hard punch to his face. She did not let it end there as she sent multiple punches at an incredible speed.

However, there was no way the twin brothers were going to allow themselves to let the criminals get away. With that in mind, Sawk simply ignored the pain dealt by Hitmonlee's kick and rolled to the side, getting up in a crouching position. After that, he hit Hitmonlee's ankle with a sweep kick. Due to the strength of Hitmonlee's leg, this was not enough to knock him down but it was certainly painful enough to distract him.

Sawk took full advantage of this as cupped his hands together and sent a hard karate chop to his midsection with both hands shouting, "BRICK BREAK!" Hitmonlee flying back a bit with his eyes wide open.

All the while, Throh eventually caught onto Hitmonchan's pattern and blocked two incoming punches before holding her close. With that, he then leapt into the air, spinning himself like a ball before shouting, "ROLLING DROP!" sending the girl's head hard into the surface.

However, just as it seemed the two had won, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan easily recovered as the brother took a deep breath, saying, "Not bad, but I've faced better," Hitmonchan groaning, "That disgusting red thing touched me," Throh feeling rather offended by this as Hitmonlee sighed, "And if the blue guy had done it, you would have enjoyed it, right?" the girl batting her eyelashes innocently at her brother as he face-palmed.

However, he quickly returned his focus on the fight before leaping toward Sawk. Once again, the boy prepared himself to counter as instead of trying to block him knowing what happened last time, he swerved to the right. However, Hitmonlee saw this coming as he sent a roundhouse kick into the side of his head before wrapping his legs around the boy's head, leaning backward and slamming his head hard into the surface with a frankensteiner.

Throh all the while rushed at Hitmonchan with his arms at the ready only for the girl to block his hands with her fists, her gloves bursting into flame as she spat, "FIRE PUNCH!" This burned Throh's hands as he reeled them back, blowing on them as the girl took full advantage of this, punching him hard in the face with her burning fists and sending him back.

After that, Hitmonlee's foot was now covered in a blue aura as he said, "Time to deal with these pests," Hitmonchan nodding as she focused her energy, actually increasing the size of her fist to twice the size of her head, saying, "I'll miss you, Sawk," blowing him a kiss with her other hand.

With that, Hitmonlee leapt at Sawk shouting, "MEGA KICK!" Hitmonchan barking, "MACH PUNCH!" and sending her fist at Throh, both brothers quickly finding themselves on the receiving end of each attack. Needless to say, this was more than enough to send them careening them off the side of the train, both falling hard against the ground while the train was soon out of their point of view.

It would not have mattered if it was still close, though, as the two were too weak to pursue them. Luckily, they still had enough strength to move a little bit, and Sawk took full advantage of this as he whipped out a cellphone, taking a deep breath. He knew he could only make long-distance calls for emergencies, and this was certainly one of those.

The call in question was geared toward Hero Planet, mainly the office of Weedle. See, Riolu had given everyone his number before sending them off in case they needed to contact him about something, and this was certainly one of those cases. Unfortunately, only Throh and Sawk actually kept the piece of paper they were given as most students just assumed a folded up sheet from a teacher was simply something to remind them of their duties.

It was rather fortunate that Weedle was just finishing up some paperwork at the moment. One second sooner and he would have been heading home already. Well, since he was here, he quickly answered the call asking, "Who is this?"

"Mister Weedle, sir, it's Sawk," the boy replied as Weedle replied, "Oh, one of the top students from the first semester. What's the good word?" Sawk sighing, "I wish it was good. Unfortunately, a band of criminals just escaped from Osaka after stealing something precious from the museum," the boy not wanting to rat out the human who had handed it over.

"Well, why should that matter to me?" Weedle asked as Sawk replied, "Because it was something a hero donated there ages ago, the mask of Giratina," the caterpillar's eyes widening as he went silent, Sawk asking, "Are you still there?" Weedle shaking his head and replying, "Yes, yes I am. Do you know where they're headed?"

Sawk nodded and replied, "From what I can tell, it looks like they took the tracks leading to Tokyo, and from my research, they should be there by morning," Weedle letting out a sigh thinking, 'Great, I have to call upon them again,' before replying, "Don't worry about a thing. I'll handle this. You and your brother have done a good thing telling me."

With that, the caterpillar hung up and took a deep breath, thinking, 'Alright, you can do this. You finally have a chance to do something right as chairman. Don't let your resentment toward the Mach family ruin that.'

And with that, he sent a phone message to Aipom telling her of this, hoping she would get the message soon. Not only that, though, but he also arranged a meeting the following morning about this. After all, to have the mask of Giratina stolen was not something to take lightly, but why? How could the forces of evil benefit from having the mask of someone who was dead? Whatever the case, this could only spell trouble.


	29. Chapter 29

After Throh and Sawk had failed the previous night, they had at least done the right thing and let Hero Planet's government know what was happening. Normally, a villain running loose would not be something the government would get involved with as their kids were clearly more fit to be fighting these battles, but to have Giratina's mask stolen was a whole other issue, but why? What could on possibly do with an old mask? It was not as if anyone who wore it got super powers or anything like that.

Even so, this was certainly urgent enough for Weedle to wake everyone working in the school up early for a meeting. While everyone was filled in on the mask being stolen, no one could imagine how this was possible.

"Apparently, a group of criminals broke into the Osaka museum and stole the mask," Weedle stated as Riolu rose his hand, asking, "Where did you just say they got it from?" the caterpillar replying, "The Osaka Museum. Sorry, did I say that too quietly?"

"Well, no," Infernape replied, "We just wanted to make sure we heard that correctly. Why would it have been in an Earth museum?" Weedle blinking and looking around, noticing more looks of confusion and asking, "Wait, are you telling me nobody here knew the mask of Giratina of all demons was in the Osaka Museum?"

Everyone shrugged as a pangolin named Sandshrew rose his hand and asked, "But why would it be in a museum?" Weedle replying, "Geez, I thought everyone had heard this story. Look, when Giratina was destroyed, the government took the mask and decided to preserve it in memory of the demon's defeat at the hands of Arceus. So they had it displayed in a museum, and Osaka just happened to want it the most."

"So let me get this straight," a scorpion named Drapion said, "Instead of locking it away on Hero Planet or, say, trying to destroy the mask, they put it up for display in a building lots of people go to," Weedle nodding before sighing, "Now that you mention it, that sounds unbelievably stupid."

"Yeah, no kidding," a panda named Pangoro said while folding her arms, "I'm just amazed no one stole it beforehand," Greninja nodding and replying, "Indeed, that is a very sound point," everyone in the area now talking amongst themselves about this as Weedle sighed, "Well, I'm just hoping Tokyo's heroes can stop this. For the time being, though, I want a paper sent all around the world to let people know of this threat. If these criminals can find something to do with that mask, we'll need the citizens to be ready."

A magnetic cyborg named Magnezone and a vulture named Mandibuzz both gave Weedle an army salute before taking off to take care of their business. However, Riolu did not feel completely comfortable with this as he asked, "Are you sure we shouldn't go and help them?" Weedle sighing, "You know we have to make sure the new generation is ready," the dog taking a deep breath and replying, "I hope you really know what you're doing, sir," before getting up and taking his leave.

After he did so, the caterpillar let out a sigh and grumbled, "Me too, Riolu, me too," before pulling out a phone book and thinking, 'What would you do in this situation, Ambipom? I could use your advice right now.'

Once the sun started to rise, the train was getting close to Osaka, a little less than an hour away in fact. They of course had no intention of stopping here, though where they were headed was anyone's guess.

Luckily, this was around the time Aipom had received the phone message regarding this, her eyes going wide as she quickly woke up Machoke and called up Gardevoir, Gallade and Blaziken. Thankfully, the message did include what time the train was likely to arrive at, so Aipom knew just when to get there.

And with that, they had gotten Keiko to come around and pick them up, Aipom rushing into the car while Machoke was trying to get his clothes on fast enough to keep up. It was not long until they were off, Aipom sighing, "I hope the others can catch up with us," Machoke laughing nervously and replying, "You know, they don't have cars either."

Luckily, all three were generally faster than Machoke, so it was easier for them to just run to the station. Granted, they were no match for a car but they did have distance on their side as their homes were a lot closer. And as luck would have it, they all managed to make it just five minutes before the hour was up.

All four heroes were breathing heavily as Blaziken turned to Machoke, asking, "Why are you exhausted? You got a ride," Machoke remarking, "I was restless the whole trip!" Gallade saying, "Honestly, I can't blame him."

With that, the four stood there as Aipom said, "Alright, the train should be coming by any time now. You guys ready?" Machoke nodding and saying, "Yeah, when it comes by, we all jump," Blaziken asking, "You sure you can handle that?" Gardevoir trembling and whimpering, "I'm not so sure I can."

"It's okay," Machoke replied with a warm smile, placing an arm on the girl's shoulder and adding, "We've dealt with far worse here on Earth, and your movements are among the most graceful I've seen. I know you can handle it."

The girl smiled lightly and blushed before nodding her head, saying, "Right, thank you, Machoke," Aipom tapping them each on the shoulder and saying, "Focus. For all we know, it might come early."

As soon as she said that, Gallade's eyes widened as he asked, "What if it already came early?" all going silent as the group gulped, really hoping Gallade's assumption was wrong. That was certainly a possibility. After all, they had cut it really close with their arrival time.

Right now, they could not just assume something like that had happened and try to pursue the train. With less than four minutes left before its scheduled arrival, all they could was wait and see if it would show.

Thankfully, the train had not yet arrived as the four fighters awoke from a good night's sleep, Hitmonchan asking, "Are we there yet?" Hitmonlee rolling his eyes and remarking, "You know it's gonna be a while," Medicham nodding and saying, "That's right. We need to be patient."

"Besides, who's gonna stop us?" Hitmontop added with a grin, "Those guys from yesterday were a joke!" Hitmonchan letting out a sigh and resting her chin against her palm, a dream-like smile on her face.

"Oh my god, are you STILL thinking about him?" Hitmonlee asked as Hitmonchan glared at him, remarking, "So what if I am!? What's wrong with being in love!" the brother retorting, "First of all, that's not love! It's infatuation! Secondly, he's the enemy!" Hitmonchan snapping, "You wouldn't understand love if it bit you in the face because all you ever care about is bashing people's heads in!"

Just as the two were about to battle it out, Hitmontop leapt between them and held out her feet, shouting, "No, you are not going to start another fight!" Medicham trying her best to remain calm. Now she was really starting to wonder if allying herself with these three was worth it.

At this moment, the train was finally approaching the station as Aipom pointed her tail finger at it stating, "Guys, it's here," Blaziken squinting her eyes at it and saying, "Well, it's not transporting cargo, so it might be the right train."

Either way, the five had no time to contemplate whether or not this was the train the criminals were riding as they leapt toward it once it was close enough. It was frightening jumping at a speeding train, but they managed to pull it off all the same as they managed to grab hold of a ladder, climbing onto the roof.

"Well, that wasn't too bad," Blaziken said, turning to the others before her eyes widened, Gardevoir blinking and squeaking, "What's wrong!?" Gallade looking around and asking, "Um, where's Machoke?"

"What do you mean?" Aipom asked before noticing he was gone, everyone's eyes widening as Machoke had missed the ladder and ended up being hit by the boxcar behind it. Luckily, he had not been sent flying off of it as he barely managed to grab onto the side, now holding on for dear life, a few signs scraping up against his back as he winced in pain.

Soon enough, the boy was on the roof with his friends as Aipom bonked him over the head, saying, "Don't scare us like that," Machoke rubbing his head and grumbling curses under his breath. At the very least, phase one was complete.

Of course, just like when Throh and Sawk had arrived, Medicham almost instantly detected it as Hitmonchan asked, "Oh my god, did someone actually find us?" Medicham replying, "Five this time. We might all need to get involved," Hitmonlee sighing, "It just couldn't be easy for us, could it?"

With that, all four exited their boxcar so they could get onto the roof, and just like Throh and Sawk, the heroes were currently on one of the boxcars that did not have walls or a roof. Though unlike the two fighters, they were not hiding in wait.

"Well, at least they're not going for the element of surprise," Hitmonchan whispered to the others, Hitmontop replying, "and only four of them look like actual fighters," Medicham sighing, "We should just hurry up and strike while they're unaware of our presence."

However, before they could try the element of surprise, Blaziken spotted them and pointed, shouting, "THERE THEY ARE!" the others turning as the four fighters simply leapt onto the current boxcar, Medicham sighing, "You did a good job spotting us."

Machoke simply blinked and said, "Hey, they're mostly girls," Gallade asking, "Is there a problem with that?" the boy shaking his head and replying, "No. It's just every villain we've faced up to this point has been a guy. I was just surprised."

Hitmonchan's eyes then widened when gazed upon Gallade. Suddenly, all feelings she had for Sawk were gone as now she was imagining running through a field of flowers with Gallade. A big heavenly smile and blush marks formed on her face as Hitmonlee face-palmed.

During this time, Weedle had just finished a call with Ambipom as the monkey said, "Just have faith in them. I'm sure everything will turn out okay. After all, my daughter is training one of them," Weedle sighing, "Yes, I know," both saying their goodbyes before hanging up.

The caterpillar let out a sigh and thought, 'Please don't let me down, guys,' when suddenly, his phone started ringing. The bug blinked and picked it up, saying, "Hello, Weedle's office."

"I want you to tell me something," came a familiar voice as Weedle asked, "Is that you, Tyrogue? Wow, someone else actually kept my phone number on them."

Tyrogue, who was currently stationed in Sapporo, took a deep breath and asked, "I have to know if this news article I just read it true," Weedle asking, "You mean the one about the mask?" the fighter replying, "Yeah, that one. It says two of the culprits have been identified at Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee, right?"

"Oh yeah," Weedle replied, "I've been so stressed by the news I haven't had time to check. Should I know who they are?" Tyrogue remarking, "No, never mind, it's none of your concern. I just wanted to be certain of this," the caterpillar blinking before replying, "Okay," Tyrogue hanging up.

Next to the boy was a kiwi bird with three heads and two long green feathers atop each one that resembled leaves. The bird looked at Tyrogue while the right head asked in a female voice, "So, is it them?" Tyrogue nodding and sighing, "I still can't believe my own siblings would be responsible for this. I just hope Hitmontop hasn't turned to the dark side too."

The left head replied in a slightly deeper feminine voice, "Do you think we should go after them?" the middle head replying in a male voice, "I'm up to the challenge," Tyrogue taking a deep breath and asking, "How fast can you three run again?"

Back on the train, Aipom frowned at the villains before her and spat, "What do you plan on doing with Giratina's mask!? Explain yourselves!" Medicham taking a deep breath and replying, "We do not have to answer to you."

"I guess it doesn't really matter cause we're gonna take it back!" Blaziken exclaimed, racing forward only for Hitmonlee to leap at her, sending his leg forward for a roundhouse. The chicken immediately sent her own foot forward to block the incoming hit, her eyes widening when she actually felt a light pain from it, almost like his leg was actually made of solid bones.

Gardevoir bit her lip, hoping for the best only for Hitmonlee to take full advantage of Blaziken's pain. He lowered the leg he had used for his attack and lifted up the other one, sending it into the side of the chicken's head. Blaziken grunted, rubbing her cheek and saying, "Alright, you asked for it, buddy!" sending a series of punches toward Hitmonlee as the fighter stood on his hands while blocking the incoming fists with his feet.

While this went on, Gallade rushed toward the others exclaiming, "I don't care if you're girls or not! I'm not going easy on you!" Hitmonchan wincing, too afraid to attack the boy as Hitmontop got in the way, now balancing on her head spike and spinning herself around, shouting, "TRIPLE KICK!" sending an onslaught of kicks into his midsection and sending him flying backwards, the boy groaning as he skidded across the surface.

Gardevoir gasped and squeaked, "I won't let you get away with that!" the girl rushing toward Hitmontop as she started spinning again. Gardevoir attempted to dodge but ended up taking a hard kick to her side, backing up and holding the spot when Hitmonchan sent a hard punch into her face while she was distracted.

Machoke growled and spat, "HEY, DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME!" Medicham racing toward him saying, "I haven't," Aipom shouting, "MACHOKE, LOOK OUT!" the boy holding up a defensive stance only to receive a hard karate chop to his side.

His eyes widened as Medicham got behind him, sending a hard palm punch into his back. Machoke could not believe how much these two hits hurt. He had dealt with far worse and yet Medicham was already making him feel weak, and it did not stop there as the girl proceeded to hit him more in various different parts, this time using her finger like a fist.

And to make matters worse, the others were not fairing any better. Blaziken's punches eventually stopped when Hitmonlee wrapped his arms around her wrists, lifting her high into the air before repositioning his legs so they were wrapped around her waist. After that, he flipped her upside-down and slammed her head into the canvas. The chicken could not believe that she was losing so easily to a guy who only used his feet for combat.

Gardevoir was now fighting Hitmonchan and not fairing particularly well. Every time she blocked one of the girl's punches, she would receive a hook punch to her cheek. She could not believe this. Up until now, her training had made her better in combat and yet she was performing horribly right now.

Hitmontop was back to fighting Gallade as she spun toward him, Gallade sighing, "Alright, time to use a move I picked up from watching Bisharp. I don't know if it's as good, but I know I can pull it off," the boy standing on one tip-toe and spinning around with his arms folded and shouting, "SWORDS DANCE!"

With that, he actually managed to counter Hitmontop's attack as the might of his blades was enough to send her flying. However, she quickly stopped herself from taking in pain by once again using her tail as a stool, the girl spinning once again only now she was right-side-up. Unfortunately, Gallade did not seem ready to use this technique as he got dizzy from using it after a few more seconds, leaving him wide open for another onslaught of kicks.

Aipom stared at this in horror as Machoke, fumed, grunting, "Don't you worry, Aipom! I'm gonna make sure these convicts don't win!" only to receive another hit from Medicham's finger as he coughed up blood, falling to his knees as she sighed, "I'm hitting all of your pressure points. It is going to be hard to ignore that."

However, Machoke gritted his teeth and as she sent another finger punch forward, this time grabbing her wrist as she gasped in shock, the boy shouting, "I SAID I'M GONNA MAKE SURE YOU CONVICTS DON'T WIN!" the boy flinging her toward Hitmonchan, the girl too busy punching Gardevoir to notice her ally flying toward, her, her eyes widening when the fighter hit the back of her head.

Hitmonlee noticed this and spat, "HITMONCHAN!" only for Blaziken to take full advantage of this, the chicken grabbing hold of his ankle and pulling on it. This caused him to fall on his face as she wrapped her arms and legs around his leg, twisting it as he cried out in pain.

Even Hitmontop was distracted long enough for Gallade to force her back with his blade arms, sending her spinning into the side of the car and causing her spinning to stop as her eyes started spinning. Things may have looked bad at first, but thanks to Machoke, things were finally starting to look up.

Even Gardevoir took full advantage of this chance, the girl sending a series of smacks to Hitmonchan as the girl backed up, rubbing her face and groaning, "Wow, who knew slaps could hurt so much?"

Medicham took a deep breath, glaring at Machoke and saying, "You are not the average hero. Not many can just recover from that many finger punches so easily. Who are you?" the boy folding his arms and smirking before remarking, "Wow, you're the first non-human not to recognize me upon first glance," the three villains staring in shock, Hitmonlee too surprised by these words to care about the pain he was taking in now.

Aipom nodded and stated, "For your information, this boy you see before you is Machoke, son of Machamp!" all going silent as Medicham uttered, "I can't believe I didn't see it, the family resemblance," Hitmonchan adding, "That's right, the ridges on his head," Hitmonlee adding, "That build," Hitmontop saying, "All that's missing is the extra arms and the fish lips, but yes, I see it now."

However, while every other villain up to this point had actually wanted to fight Machoke, these four gave rather mixed reactions. Hitmonchan looked terrified to be going up against him while Hitmontop was unsure of whether to consider this a great honour or a huge hindrance. Hitmonlee was still on the receiving end of Blaziken's attack, but even if he could fight back, he was unsure of what would happen.

However, the only one who did not seem frightened was Medicham, the girl taking a deep breath and saying, "I never dreamt I would face someone of your calibre. I will not hold back anymore," Machoke remarking, "YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE YOU WERE HOLDING BACK BEFORE!?"

Seeing Medicham feeling so confident gave Hitmonlee a burst of confidence as well as he rose his free leg, ignoring the extra pain this dealt as Blaziken's eyes widened. She was unable to respond as the boy sent his foot into her ribcage, the chicken crying out in pain and releasing her hold when Hitmonlee stood on his hands again, this time wrapping his legs around her neck and shouting, "HITMONCHAN, I'M GETTING READY FOR OUR ULTIMATE FINISHER!"

The boxer nodded and replied, "Of course!" Gardevoir frowning and squeaking, "NO!" dodging an incoming punch only to receive a hook to her side, Hitmonchan wrapping her arms around her and saying, "Now, I don't normally use moves like this, but I need to for this attack to work."

Before Gallade could rush in and help his sister, Hitmontop used her tail to propel herself over his head, latching her legs around his neck and planting her tail spike into his back shouting, "SCORPION ROLLER!" spinning her body around thus spinning Gallade's as well, the girl slamming his face hard into the mat multiple times before he was knocked out cold.

Gardevoir and Blaziken's eyes widened, but their shock did not last long. Hitmonlee lifted Blaziken up for a frankensteiner while Hitmonchan set up Gardevoir for a Suplex, the two siblings shouting, "JUDO BOXING!" slamming both their heads into one-another and dealing incredible pain as both coughed up blood.

Machoke wanted to rush in and help but Medicham was currently keeping him busy as she sent a palm punch into his face. However, the boy refused to let this get to him as he ignored the pain, grabbing her wrist and twisting it. Medicham winced in pain but did her best to ignore this, ramming her free palm into his chest and causing him to cough up a small amount of blood.

"I must admit, your endurance is admirable, but I still expected better from the son of the greatest fighter of his time," Medicham stated before leaping at him with her foot out, sending a hard kick into his gut. She kept her foot there and latched her other leg around his arm before placing a firm grip with both hands on his other arm.

Machoke's eyes were wide open as the martial artist leaned backward, pulling on his arms and shouting, "TURNOVER SLAM!" placing her back against the floor while lifting Machoke over her head, twisting his arms before slamming his head hard into the surface.

Machoke's eyes were wide open as Aipom screeched, "YOU'VE DEALT WITH WORSE! GET UP, MACHOKE!"

However, none of the four heroes were able to get up. In a shocking turn of events, everyone, even Machoke had lost to these four strangers.

With that, Aipom bit her lower lip as Hitmonchan smiled, asking, "What should we do with the monkey?" the monkey getting on the defensive and forming a fist with her tail, Medicham taking a deep breath and running her finger into her back. This was more than enough for Aipom to cough up blood and fall hard on her face, now out cold.

With that, Machoke and the others were tossed off of the side of the train, all of them still too hurt to move. Unfortunately, Aipom had not joined them. She had been taken as a prisoner, Medicham saying, "Just think of how famous we'll be when everyone discovers the mighty Machoke lost to us," all four criminals laughing wickedly while the train was long gone now.


	30. Chapter 30

This was truly a dark day for the world. Despite their best efforts, the heroes of Tokyo had actually failed to defeat someone. Worst of all, Aipom had been kidnapped yet again only this time, it did not look like Machoke would be able to save her.

However, not all hope was lost as Tyrogue was currently riding on his kiwi friend, Dodrio, as they were sprinting toward the opposite direction that the train was headed. Dodrio was shockingly fast, actually having travelled a really long distance in less than an hour. They were actually closing in on Aomori and were showing no signs of stopping.

Tyrogue took a deep breath and said, "Apparently, they passed by Tokyo quite some time ago. How long do you think it'll take us to run into them?" Dodrio's right head replying, "It should only take a little over an hour I think," the middle head remarking, "Are you underestimating our speed? We can get there faster than that!" the left head sighing, "Brother, you're getting ahead of yourself," the middle head retorting, "Oy! I heard that!"

"Actually, I am hoping you three can go faster," Tyrogue replied, "I need to talk to my siblings about this. This makes no sense."

"Hey, not every family member's on the same page," the right head replied, "After all, Lucario was originally a bad guy, remember?" Tyrogue remarking, "You don't understand, Dodrio. We may not have taken classes together, but I know for a fact that my older siblings would never dream of going down this route."

He started telling the kiwi of a time when Tyrogue was four. His siblings always looked out for him and loved him like older siblings should have. They had their conflicts every now and then, but it was always resolved quickly. One could say their family was more manageable than most families of six.

One day, just before Tyrogue's birthday, Hitmontop, still the most reasonable of the siblings even back then at the age of five, called her brothers and sister together for a meeting. Whenever she called a meeting, it was always for something important, such as making their parents nice birthday cards or other such things, but this time the subject was what Tyrogue considered the most important of all.

"As you know, our mommy and daddy used to be big heroes," Hitmontop stated, "I think we should be like them and help people," Hitmonlee nodding and replying, "Yeah, heroes get to do all sorts of cool stuff like saving damsels in distress," everyone looking at him as he asked, "What is a damsel in distress anyway?"

Hitmonchan simply smiled and said, "Well, I like helping people, so that sounds like fun," Tyrogue's eyes sparkling as he nodded and replied, "Yeah, we'll be important just like Mommy and Daddy and the world will love us."

Hitmontop nodded and replied, "It's settled, then! When we grow up, we will be heroes!" the kids bumping their fists together with big smiles on their faces.

This probably would not have meant quite as much to Tyrogue if not for the fact that they kept that vow for years to come. Every so often, they would repeat this vow to each other, even taking steps to becoming heroes.

Hitmonlee, for instance, often protected first graders from bullies at the age of eight, some of these bullies being in grade six no less. Hitmonchan signed up to be a crossing guard at the age of nine, helping people cross the street safely. But the most hard-working of them all was Hitmontop who not only helped out students in any way she could but, at the young age of seven was volunteering to help out at old folks homes.

Tyrogue always felt so inspired that he would do a variety of helpful activities as well, mostly trying to follow in his brother's footsteps. All-in-all, the Hitmon family seemed like perfect aspiring heroes, always putting others ahead of themselves and even training hard. And they would always repeat the same vow that they would all one day follow in the footsteps of their parents.

"Oh my god, that is so sweet," the right head sniffed, tears in her eyes as the left head smiled, saying, "Sounds like you guys were just the most wonderful children, aye?" the middle head adding, "Your brother's cool."

"That's why I can't wrap my head around this," Tyrogue replied, "Why after sticking to such a vow for so many years would they turn evil? And to think Hitmontop is working with them! She was always the voice of reason! This pisses me off so much!"

"Well," the left head enquired, "were they acting weird before you started your training on Hero Planet?" Tyrogue shaking his head and replying, "No. In fact, they were jealous that I was the only one in my family going. They wished they could have been accepted for the first semester too."

"It sounds to me like something's up," the middle head stated, "People that good don't turn rogue overnight if you know what I mean," Tyrogue nodding and replying, "That's why I need to see them as soon as possible. I need to get to the bottom of this."

During this time, Machoke and the others had finally recovered as Machoke said, "Hey, the pain's gone," Blaziken nodding and replying, "Yeah, it's almost like we didn't just get beaten," Gallade sighing, "But it doesn't change the fact that we did," Gardevoir letting down tears and sniffing, feeling so helpless right now.

Machoke panicked and protested, "Don't cry, Gardevoir! We can still do this, right, Aipom?" the boy looking around and noticing Aipom was not there, a look of sheer terror in his eyes as he spat, "OH, SHIT, THEY TOOK AIPOM!"

The others were in total panic as well. Worst of all, they were not even sure how they could catch up now. There was no form of travel they could rely on for fast transportation and they had no clue where the quartet was headed. What could they possibly do?

"Well, maybe someone else can stop them," Blaziken replied as Machoke groaned, "I wanna be the one to save Aipom, though," tears in his eyes as Gardevoir whimpered, "I didn't even get to use my power. They actually took me out before it activated."

Gallade patted his sister on the shoulder before noticing just how torn up Machoke was. It was truly astounding. He was initially so scared of running into danger and yet now he wanted to be the one who saved Aipom's life. He really had developed into a true hero.

With that in mind, the boy blinked and said, "Wait, I may not have any ideas, but I think I know who might," the boy whipping out his cellphone and picking someone from his contacts list and held the phone up to the side of his head.

All the while, Reika was in class when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Her eyes widened as she quickly got up and exclaimed, "I really need to go to the bathroom! It's an emergency!" the teacher blinking and replying, "If it's that bad, you'd better hurry," Reika nodding and taking her leave before whipping out her phone and answering it.

"Hello," Reika said as Machoke took a deep breath, saying, "Thank god. It's so good hearing your voice right now," the girl groaning, "Machoke, seriously? I'm in the middle of class. What if someone walks by and sees me talking on my cellphone right now?"

"I'm sorry, but this is really bad," Machoke replied before explaining the whole situation, Reika's eyes wide with shock as he asked, "Wait, back up, did you say you of all people lost?" Machoke letting out a sigh and replying, "Yes."

"Wow, this is serious," Reika replied as Machoke said, "Yeah, but now we know how they fight. We figure we could probably take them if we fought them again but, well, they took off on a train. I have no idea how we could possibly catch up with them."

The girl thought about this and replied, "Unfortunately, I'm not sure either," the others groaning as the girl fidgeted and uttered, "Don't think that means it's hopeless or anything. Don't want you guys losing faith or anything," laughing nervously.

Blaziken thought about a method and noticed they had been knocked off while passing by a farm, her eyes going wide as she tapped Machoke on the shoulder, saying, "I just found us a solution to our problem."

Soon enough, all four were riding on the backs of horses with Machoke's deliberately running too fast for him as he struggled to stay on, shouting, "ARE YOU SURE THIS IS THE BEST METHOD!?" Gardevoir squealing, "I KEEP FORGETTING YOU USED TO BE A FARM GIRL!" Blaziken laughing, "I know! Isn't this great!?"

All the while, the train had gotten rather far as Hitmonlee took a deep breath, sighing, "As fun as it is busting heads in and all that, I'm really hoping no one else tries to stop us. I was kinda hoping for a safer trip, you know?" Medicham replying, "Well, let's hope no one else knows about us and our plan."

All the while, Hitmonchan was looking out the window and sighing as Hitmonlee groaned, "Oh god, here she goes again," the boxer saying in a dream-like tone, "Oh, Gallade, someday we'll meet again and run away into the sunset."

Hitmontop rolled her eyes and said, "Still, that was kind of disappointing. I thought for sure Machoke and his allies would put up a better fight. I mean, I heard Machoke defeated Talonflame," Medicham nodding and sighing, "Honestly, I'm not too surprised. Talonflame may be strong, but he's also hardheaded. It was only a matter of time until someone defeated him. This just further proves that brute strength has nothing on actual strategy."

"Yeah, we're smart and know how to use our strength, right?" Hitmonlee replied with a thumb up as Hitmontop replied, "You said it, bro," the two giving each-other a high five.

However, Medicham noticed yet another presence nearby, only this one was not on the train. But who could it be? They were not set to come to another station for another three hours, so no one could have jumped on, right?

Well, as it just so happened, Dodrio had managed to exceed their limit as they had covered more ground than initially predicted and yet somehow had barely broken a sweat from all the running. This was made possible by the fact that Tyrogue had bought them a soda pop cap and put water bottles in the pouches, giving the birds easy access to a big water supply for the trip. It seemed that was more than enough to keep them from running out of energy.

"You think that's the train?" Tyrogue asked as the middle head smirked, saying, "Only one way to find out," the kiwi leaping high into the air before landing on top of the front car, the conductor panicking as he accidentally slammed on the break, the train screeching to a halt.

Medicham glared at the man as he laughed nervously, saying, "Sorry, my bad," Hitmonchan groaning, "Dammit. Guess we may as well see who it is," the man asking, "Should I start up the train again?" Hitmontop replying, "It's okay. You just had a big scare. You take it easy for a few minutes," the conductor's eyes sparkling as he replied, "You're an angel."

With that, the man decided to take a short nap when the group was just about to climb up onto the roof again. However, Tyrogue decided to spare them the trouble as he took advantage of the train having stopped, leaping off of the train and climbing into the car through the open window, Dodrio joining him.

The members of the Hitmon family were naturally shocked to see their little brother there. Seeing as they had no idea what area he had been assigned to protect, he was the last person they had expected to see. A part of them figured he would have been sent to a different country, especially what with Japan being the one he grew up in.

"You are a miracle worker," Tyrogue said with a grin, giving Dodrio thumbs up as the right head smiled sweetly, replying, "Oh, you're too kind."

Hitmonchan smiled and exclaimed, "Tyrogue! What are you doing here!?" Hitmontop smacking her on the back of the head and remarking, "Come on, it's obvious why he's here," Hitmonlee not wanting to believe it himself but it did make sense.

Tyrogue nodded and took a deep breath, saying, "Well, your assumption is correct as always, Hitmontop. I've come to stop you," the boy striking a fighter's pose as Medicham asked, "Wait, is he your brother?" the other three nodding as Hitmonlee asked, "How could you tell?" Hitmontop replying, "Honestly, it's not that hard. He does kind of resemble all of us."

Dodrio then turned to him as the left head said, "Ask them your question first," Tyrogue nodding and replying, "Right, I can't believe I almost forgot," the boy sighing, "I need to know something. Why did you join the forces of evil? We spent most of our lives swearing to become heroes, preparing ourselves for the day it would finally happen. What would possess you to toss that aside?"

Hitmonchan gulped and bit her lower lip, rubbing the back of her head and saying, "You know, guys, he has a point. I actually feel kind of bad now," Hitmontop remarking, "Don't let him get to you!" Tyrogue growling and adding, "And you, Hitmontop! I'm ashamed of you! You were always the most logical thinker in the family! Why the hell would you choose to be evil!?"

Hitmonlee took a deep breath and replied, "You see, Tyrogue, after you were chosen to attend Hero School first while we were left to wait, we got to thinking," Hitmonchan nodding and replying, "Yeah, we grew up thinking heroes would have the right to do all the good things they wanted to, but to see them only select a few certain students for a semester while leaving others out seems kind of unfair."

Hitmontop nodded and remarked, "We don't think it's right for them to just decide we can't be heroes without graduating first, and we wanted to fight alongside you!" Tyrogue's eyes widening as the girl added, "It's just, well, if this is considered justice, if this is considered good for mankind, well, I'm not sure if I want a part of that."

Medicham nodded and replied, "That's right. They saw the light and followed it," Tyrogue growling and retorting, "I BET YOU HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS! I'VE NEVER MET YOU BEFORE! I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF YOU WERE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE!" Dodrio's eyes widening as the female heads said, "Whoa, take it easy," the male head remarking, "No, you guys put a sock in it. He's right and you know it," the two sighing, "Yeah, we know."

"You're wrong, Tyrogue," Hitmonchan remarked, "Medicham here had nothing to do with our choice. She simply volunteered to help us as we all had a common goal," Hitmontop sighing, "I'm sorry, Tyrogue, but this is the path we've chosen and if you're going to stand in our way, we will not hesitate to stop you, even if you are our baby brother."

Tyrogue gritted his teeth, growling angrily when Dodrio's right head suddenly noticed a still unconscious Aipom tied up and tucked away in a corner, the kiwi whispering, "Is that who I think it is?" Tyrogue re-directing his attention to the monkey and asking, "What's Aipom doing here?"

"Is that her name?" Hitmonchan asked, Medicham replying, "She came here with Machoke. I could detect an intelligent mind from this one, so I took her with us."

"Wait, so Machoke was here?" Tyrogue asked, Hitmonlee nodding and replying, "Wasn't too much of a challenge though. He had his allies with him too and we still beat them," Tyrogue's eyes going wide as he took deep breaths. He already knew there was no way for him to win a fight against all three of his siblings, but now it definitely seemed like a lost cause.

However, of all four fighters, Medicham was the one who stepped forward saying, "You three have already proven your loyalty to me," the rest of the Hitmon family staring at her as she added, "I will face him one-on-one," all three siblings looking at one-another.

Hitmonchan let out a sigh and replied, "Honestly, I would feel a little bad beating on our baby brother," Hitmontop nodding and replying, "Yeah, he's always been so sweet. I felt a little guilty just telling him all that stuff," Hitmonlee saying nothing as Medicham took a deep breath and sporting a fighter's stance, saying, "Alright, Tyrogue, show me what you can do."

The boy looked a little relieved now that he only had one opponent. Even if this girl had defeated Machoke, it certainly gave him more of a chance. And with that in mind, he wasted no time rushing toward the girl.

Before Medicham could even respond, Tyrogue sent a hard punch into her midsection. Sure, it was not quite on the level of one of Hitmonchan's punches, but it still hurt pretty badly as Medicham was distracted.

Tyrogue took full advantage of this by sending a fierce roundhouse kick into her side, thinking, 'While my siblings rely on one fighting style each, I have learned all three from them,' the boy even managing to use Hitmontop's style of fighting by balancing on one foot to spin like a top while delivering multiple kicks with his other foot.

The last kick he dealt sent Medicham back a bit as she barely managed to maintain her balance. Clearly Tyrogue was a lot stronger than she believed. He was not quite as physically strong as his siblings, but he was still tough and knew all of their fighting styles. This certainly made him dangerous.

Dodrio cheered with all three heads, the male shouting, "You rock, Tyrogue!" the boy maintaining his serious look and not letting his current advantage get to his head. Even his siblings had to admit that they were impressed. This was actually the first time they had seen him in a real fight and they had not actually seen him use all three of their techniques before. Back home, he would normally train by himself so he could focus more.

However, Medicham was not going to let this get her down as she took a deep breath, saying, "I'm impressed, boy, but that's not good enough!" sprinting toward him at a very fast speed. Tyrogue tried to retaliate but did not have enough time as she sent a fierce knee kick into his gut.

The girl did not give him any time to respond to this as she sent an onslaught of finger punches into his chest, his eyes going wide, the boy unable to respond as the girl shouted, "ACUPRESSURE!" sending one extra powerful finger punch into his gut, causing the boy to cough up blood.

Tyrogue could not believe this. After only a couple of attacks, he was already down on his knees. But there was no way he would let himself be beaten so easily. With that in mind, the boy growled when Medicham grabbed him by the neck, holding him up and glaring into his eyes.

"Medicham," Hitmonchan said with a look of concern, "whatever you do, don't kill him, okay?" the girl taking a deep breath and replying, "I had no intention of doing so," Tyrogue taking full advantage of this distraction as he held up his arms shouting, "FAKE OUT!" clapping his hands in front of her face.

This sent a shock wave powerful enough to cause her ears to ring briefly, the girl letting him go as he proceeded to shout, "TRIPLE FIGHTING STYLE BARRAGE!"

Before she could retaliate, Tyrogue proceeded to leap into the air, spinning vertically before sending a hard kick to Medicham's head followed by a roundhouse with his other foot and a hard punch to her skull. Unfortunately, despite all of this, Medicham ignored the pain and grabbed hold of his neck once more.

With that, the girl lifted him up and shouted, "ACUPRESSURE CHOKESLAM!" the girl shifting her hand quickly enough so only her finger was pressed up against his neck, slamming him hard into the floor, the conductor springing awake and shouting, "Okay, I'm up!"

Dodrio stared in absolute horror as Tyrogue lay there, unconscious. His siblings did feel a little bad seeing him lying there unconscious, but they knew this was beneficial to their plan. After all, he was their enemy now, so this only felt right.

However, Dodrio was not going to stand around and let this fly as they sprinted toward Medicham, sending a series of rapid pecks toward the girl shouting, "FURY ATTACK!"

Medicham looked perfectly calm as she nodded to the Hitmon siblings, all three dashing in front of the kiwi as Hitmonlee sent a high kick into the middle one's chin. Hitmonchan delivered an uppercut to the right head while Hitmontop used fierce roundhouse on the left one's cheek.

With all three heads in terrible pain, all three nodded at one-another and spat in unison, "TRIPLE FIGHTING STYLE BARRAGE MACH TWO!" Hitmonlee sending his Mega Kick into the bird's midsection, Hitmonchan using her Mach Punch on the same spot while Hitmontop used Triple kick to end the attack, sending the kiwi flying out the window.

And when Dodrio landed outside, there was no doubt they were out cold. Medicham figured it would be hard for the siblings to do the same to Tyrogue, so they decided to toss him out for them, telling the conductor to start up the train, the man taking a deep breath and saying, "At least I got a break," starting up the train again as it took off.

However, it seemed it had remained still just long enough for Machoke and the others to finally catch up to it, Blaziken exclaiming, "LOOK, GUYS, THE TRAIN!" all four getting excited before noticing Tyrogue and Dodrio lying unconscious, screeching to a halt as Machoke flew off of his horse head-first into a tree.

Sure, they knew they had just wasted a perfectly good chance there, but right now two of their fellow heroes were lying injured in the middle of nowhere. They could not just ignore this. But could they possible catch up to the train again now that they wasted their best chance? Clearly they were going to spend quite a bit of time making sure Tyrogue and Dodrio were okay.


	31. Chapter 31

Just as Machoke and his friends had finally caught up with the train, another matter had shown itself. Tyrogue and Dodrio were out cold with no hospitals nearby. On one hand, the group could have just continued the follow the train but on the other hand, they could not just leave someone in the middle of nowhere.

As such, Blaziken picked up Tyrogue on her back while Machoke did the same with Dodrio, the boy groaning, "Why do I have to carry the three-headed bird!?" the middle head sticking out his tongue as it slapped Machoke in the face, the boy shuddering.

With that, they mounted themselves back onto the horses as Blaziken sighed, "As much as I want to hunt those criminals down, we should take these guys to a hospital first," the others nodding and taking off. However, it was not long before Tyrogue and Dodrio were already starting to recover. It was just like Machoke and his friends. Despite taking in extreme pain, they had recovered shockingly quickly.

"Ow, my head," Tyrogue groaned as Blaziken blinked, saying, "You're awake," Gardevoir smiling and squeaking, "That's wonderful!" Dodrio also waking up, the male head smacking his lips and asking, "Oy, why does my tongue taste like ass?"

Machoke narrowed his eyelids as Gallade asked, "How are you guys already awake? You looked like you took in a horrible beating," Machoke thinking about these words as Tyrogue replied, "Well, yeah, we did. That Medicham was tough."

"Try dealing with your siblings," Dodrio's right head remarked, "They're freaking ruthless," Gardevoir squeaking, "Siblings!?"

Tyrogue let out a sigh and replied, "Yeah, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee and Hitmontop are my older siblings. They mentioning fighting you, but how did you catch up so quickly?" Gallade directing his eyes down at his own horse, Tyrogue quickly getting the idea.

"Yeah, I knew horses were fast, but man, these guys are miracle workers," Machoke stated with a grin as the horse he was riding let down a light tear having now developed respect for the boy.

"But wait, we're not following the tracks anymore," Tyrogue stated as Gardevoir replied, "Yeah, we were going to take you to the hospital," Tyrogue shaking his head and retorting, "No, you can't!" the others gasping as he retorted, "Guys, this is really serious! They have Aipom and the mask of Giratina, but what's more, it pains me that my own flesh and blood is doing this! We have to stop them!"

"But you're too hurt to do anything," Gallade remarked as Dodrio's middle head retorted, "Oy, we're plenty strong!" the sisters conking themselves up against his cheeks before remarking, "Don't be arrogant!"

"Even so, I still want to be there to make sure," Tyrogue replied with a sigh, "I appreciate the ride, but please let me come with you. I know my siblings. It makes no sense that they would do this," the others looking at one-another as Blaziken nodded, saying, "Well, he is right about one thing. Saving the whole world is more important than taking two injured people to a hospital, as heartless as that probably sounds."

With that, the group took off back toward the tracks and followed them. Hopefully the horses would still be able to catch up even with the train moving again.

During this time, Medicham was taking it easy as she said, "Well, I can safely say there's nothing standing in our way now," Hitmonchan all the while looking out the window with a sigh, Hitmonlee groaning, "You're not still thinking about that Gallade guy, are you?"

The boxer shook her head and replied, "No. I know it's wrong to think this way, but I feel kind of bad," Hitmontop raising an eyebrow, knowing exactly what her sister meant but said nothing.

"We made our decision and did what needed to be done," Hitmonlee replied, "It's not our fault he refused to see eye-to-eye with us," Medicham nodding and saying, "Exactly. Don't forget that this is the path you chose to follow. It's like you said, this is the choice you made and if even your own brother stood in your way, you would not hesitate to stop him."

Hitmontop took a deep breath and said, "She's right. I did say that," Hitmonchan taking a deep breath and replying, "Yes, you're right," a serious look in her eyes as she added, "Thanks. I needed that," the girl still unsure of whether or not they were doing the right thing now.

And of course none of them had forgotten their vow that they kept up over the years. Even now, those words had stuck with them. 'When we grow up, we will be heroes'. They had bumped their fists in honour of that very declaration.

In order to avoid thinking about this further, Hitmonlee asked, "So, Medicham, we're headed to Sendai, right?" the girl nodding and replying, "That's right. There's a famous shrine there that contains a power no one knows about," the other three nodding as Hitmontop cut in, saying, "Yeah, and that power is supposed to be able to give life to the mask and bring Giratina back from the dead."

"That's right," Medicham replied as Hitmonchan took a deep breath, asking, "I have nothing but respect for this plan. I think it's great what you're trying to do, but let's think for a minute," the others turning to face her as she added, "What if Giratina refuses to work with us?"

The others sported a confused look as she stated, "Think about it. Giratina was said to have had unbelievable power, so much that he had no need for servants. He just did all his dirty work himself. How do we know he'd be grateful enough to serve us if we manage to resurrect him?"

"Well, what else can we do with the mask?" Hitmonlee remarked with a shrug, Hitmonchan suggesting, "We could threaten to bring him back. Yeah, we'll have a camera crew record us saying it and then we can tell everyone to bow down to the forces of evil, and in exchange, we don't use the mask's power."

"That isn't exactly a bad idea," Medicham replied, the others surprised to hear that until she added, "but I don't think it can work. There will be heroes who won't feel intimidated by our words and will probably call our bluff. I say we stick with the original plan."

Hitmonchan had nothing to say to this as her siblings shrugged, the boxer nodding and replying, "You're right. Sorry," Medicham replying, "Don't apologize. Again, that plan did have some merit to it."

All the while, the others continued to ride as Dodrio's middle head said, "Hey, I think I've regained feeling in my legs," Machoke groaning, "Please tell me you're not just saying that to sound tough again," the sister heads sighing, "Unfortunately, he is," the middle head remarking, "Oy, would you quit pointing that out!?"

"That's enough, Dodrio," Tyrogue remarked, "Let's just focus on the situation at hand. Besides, it's more beneficial for us to fight this battle together," the kiwi and Machoke both sighing in unison.

Blaziken then asked, "Say, anyone know where we're headed right now?" Gallade looking at his cellphone's GPS function and saying, "We should be hitting Sendai soon. I think at this speed, it should take us a couple of hours," Machoke groaning, "Two whole hours!?"

Gardevoir gave him a sweet smile and replied, "There, there, it'll be okay," Tyrogue saying, "Considering the speed that train was going at, we might be able to catch up with them," Machoke now smiling with light tears in his eyes as he sniffed, "So these horses really are faster than the train!" the boy hugging his horse's head and saying, "You're a good horsey," rubbing his fingers against its chin as it whinnied happily.

Unfortunately, it seemed their speed was not quite good enough. They may have been moving faster than the train, but this did not change the fact that the train was a lot closer to Sendai. As such, a half-hour before the heroes were believed to have arrived, the train had already parked at the Sendai station.

"Finally, it's over!" Hitmonchan exclaimed, stretching and yawning as Medicham replied, "Do not forget we still have to get to the shrine," Hitmonlee asking, "Is it close?" the other siblings sighing as he groaned, "Of course it isn't."

With that, the four sported their cloaks again before exiting the train. After all, they could not have anyone seeing their true identities when walking around in a public place.

It was at this time that Aipom finally woke up, the monkey's eyes going wide as she was just about to cry for help. However, tape was quickly put over her mouth as the villains stuffed her into a bag. After all, they could not have her pointing out their position, especially since they knew Sendai would likely have at least one hero stationed there.

To avoid suspicion, they took their time getting to the shrine with a slow walk. They would have probably gone faster if not for Medicham's overconfidence. She was so certain that none of the heroes who fought them would be able to catch up in time that she figured there was no way they would need to rush.

And a half-hour after the group had left the station, the heroes had arrived as Tyrogue said, "Thank you," Dodrio's middle head saying, "Okay, now I do have feeling back in my legs," the others staring as the sisters nodded, the left head saying, "He's telling the truth this time."

"Excellent," Tyrogue replied, "Listen, Dodrio, since none of us can catch up with you, I want you to find Sendai's heroes and tell them that my siblings and Medicham are here. We could use all the help we can get," Machoke remarking, "Are you insinuating we're not good enough?" Gardevoir and Gallade laughing nervously as Gallade said, "No, of course he isn't. This is just a precaution."

With that, Dodrio took off, and just as everyone assumed, there were a couple of heroes taking care of Sendai. One was a blue turtle with a squirrel's tail named Squirtle and the other was the magnetic cyborg, Magnemite. Though where they were right now would be unknown for a while.

Unfortunately, it seemed even with the Hitmon family and Medicham moving at a more steady pace than Machoke and his friends, they had arrived at the shrine first. Medicham smiled underneath her cloak, the first time she had smiled since their mission had started. After all, victory was in the palm of their hands now.

However, just as they were about to enter, a certain blue turtle lunged at Hitmonlee from behind and spat, "SKULL BASH!" ramming her head hard into his back, his eyes going wide as he fell forward on his face.

The others turned as Squirtle took a deep breath, saying, "You were right, Magnemite," the cyborg of that very name entering the area calmly and replying, "I told you my built-in sensors picked up evil lifeforms in the area." Of course, he also knew that six other heroes had just arrived, but he knew revealing such information would be a bad idea when the villains would hear him say it.

"Who the hell are you!?" Hitmonlee grunted, slowly rising to his feet as Hitmontop barked, "GODDAMMIT, THE CLOAKS WERE SUPPOSED TO HIDE US!" all four removing their cloaks now that they knew it was too late.

"My word, the report was actually true," Magnemite stated, "Tyrogue's own siblings have sided with evil. What a predicament, indeed," Hitmonchan blinking and asking, "Wait, why are you the first one to know we're members of Tyrogue's family," Squirtle grinning and replying, "Magnemite's a genius, like a super computer with a body!" the cyborg sporting a smug look and replying, "I don't like to brag, but yes, that is true."

"Oh well, it's of no consequence to us," Medicham stated with a shrug, "The point is they're getting in our way and we need to make quick work of them," Hitmonchan pounding her fists together saying, "I'll take them. Now who wants to be my partner?" Hitmonlee about to agree to this when Hitmontop sighed, "I'll take this," joining her sister as the boy grumbled curses under his breath.

"I was thinking four on two to speed things up, but if you'd rather settle this the honourable way, I guess I can't stop you," Medicham said with a shrug as Dodrio came by and noticed this, quickly racing back to where they figured the others would be. At the very least, this could certainly buy them more time.

Squirtle and Magnemite nodded at one-another as Squirtle asked, "Alright, what do you think we should do?" the cyborg replying, "I can tell these two are very strong. I recommend tactic eighty-seven," Squirtle smiling and replying, "Oh, I like that one!"

With that, the turtle rushed toward Hitmonchan who simply slammed her fists into one-another again, only this time she rubbed them together before electricity formed around each one. Squirtle ignored this and leapt at Hitmonchan as the boxer spat, "THUNDER PUNCH!" sending her fist forward only for Squirtle to tuck herself into her shell.

Unfortunately, her plan failed her as the electricity from Hitmonchan's fist coursed right through the shell. This seemed to cause intense pain as Squirtle poked her arms, legs and head out of the shell and cried out in pain, flying backwards as Hitmontop got onto her head and spun toward her.

Seeing that the tactic had failed, Magnemite panicked before rushing right in front of Squirtle while Hitmontop spat, "TRIPLE KICK!" sending an onslaught of kicks into the cyborg's midsection before sending him reeling back.

Squirtle slowly recovered from the electric shock before turning toward her partner with a look of terror. She could not believe that Magnemite's strategy would fail so early in the match. Clearly these two opponents were not to be taken lightly.

"Magnemite, are you okay?" Squirtle asked as the cyborg slowly recovered, shaking the pain off of his head and replying, "Don't worry, the only thing that's been damaged is my pride," the turtle letting out a sigh and replying, "It's okay, I know from experience your knowledge isn't perfect. It's just really close to perfection," Magnemite replying, "That wording could have been more offensive, so I'll take that as a compliment."

Hitmonchan and Hitmontop were of course not going to wait as they rushed toward the two, Magnemite shouting, "NOW, INITIATE TACTIC NUMBER FIFTY-NINE!" Squirtle nodding and tucking herself into her shell again, only this time she started spinning around the two fighters.

Hitmontop simply sighed and asked, "You really think that's gonna confuse us?" before getting back onto her head and spinning while following Squirtle, Magnemite thinking, 'No, but that has left Hitmonchan without backup.'

With that, the cyborg rushed at Hitmonchan, the boxer sighing, "I feel bad hitting a nerd, but you asked for it," the girl sending her fist forward only for Magnemite to block it with his hands saying, "You're not the only one with the power of electricity, only mine comes naturally."

With that, the boy placed his free hand against her wrist knowing her boxing glove would absorb an electric spark as his magnets sparked, the cyborg sending a surge of electricity up the boxer's spine. With Hitmonchan weakened and Hitmontop distracted, Magnemite saw this as a perfect chance as he said, "Now for Tactic number Twelve," the cyborg shifting his magnets downward and shouting, "SONIC BOOM!"

With that, the magnets released a power shock wave thus launching him high above the ground while holding onto Hitmonchan. After that, he used this chance to flip her upside down, sending more electricity through her body and shouting, "MAGNET BOMB!" resting her head between his knees and sending her hard into the surface.

However, things were not looking so good for Squirtle as Hitmontop finally caught up with her, slamming her feet hard into her shoulder and sending her spinning faster thus causing her to make herself dizzy. However, just as Hitmontop was about to take full advantage of this, Squirtle saw an opening and leapt up, grabbing using her tail to grab onto the fighter's.

Hitmontop's eyes widened as Squirtle leapt high above the ground herself, Hitmonlee groaning, "Am I really seeing this right now?" Squirtle focusing hard a water surrounded her tail, the turtle flipping herself vertically before shouting, "AQUA TAIL!" sending Hitmontop back-first into the ground.

With that, both fighters seemed to be looking rather weak as they were struggling to get back up, Squirtle coming to Magnemite's side and grinning at him, the two giving each-other a high five. After that, Hitmonlee actually looked worried, wishing he had been fighting instead of his younger sister. Sure, Magnemite and Squirtle did not quite match the physical strength of the two fighters, but they had Magnemite's brain on their side and while not flawless, it certainly proved effective.

Medicham took a deep breath and said, "Come on, girls, I know you're much better than this," Hitmonchan and Hitmontop turning to face her as she added, "You're really strong. I've seen more than enough evidence proving that. They may use strategy to help them out, but so do we! Study what they do and think up countermeasures!"

"She's right," Hitmonchan stated with a serious look in her eyes, Hitmontop nodding and saying, "Yeah, we can still do this."

Hearing this, Magnemite held up a defensive stance and said, "Be prepared for anything, Squirtle," the turtle nodding and replying, "Of course," taking the defensive as well. After all, they may have done a lot of damage earlier, but that was far from enough to take care of these two.

Now Magnemite really had to think. After all, he already knew Squirtle could still be harmed while in her shell and there was no way they were going to fall for the same trick twice. However, before he could think up anything, Hitmontop stood up on her tail, using the spike to balance herself as Hitmonchan leapt up into the air.

After that, Hitmontop grabbed onto her legs and started spinning, Hitmonchan's boxing gloves now bursting into flame as Magnemite stared in shock, asking, "What are they doing?" Squirtle remarking, "You don't know!? We're doomed!"

However, it did not take long for him to catch on as he said, "Alright, let's try tactic number thirty," Squirtle nodding as Squirtle tucked herself into her shell, Magnemite shouting, "SHELL SPIN SOCCER KICK!" sending his foot hard into the turtle's shell and sending her spinning toward the two.

This seemed like the worst strategy possible, but Magnemite had specifically aimed Squirtle toward Hitmontop's head. Sure, it was difficult to hit that spot with Hitmonchan's fists so high up, but it was still possible.

Unfortunately, it seemed these two fighters were a lot smarter than they seemed as Hitmontop actually saw this coming, the girl lifting up Hitmonchan high enough for her fists to run right into the spinning shell, sending Squirtle flying into Magnemite.

While the two had not taken in all that much damage yet, Squirtle's shell was painful and Magnemite's body was not as strong as it looked. As such, he found himself taking in a lot of pain from this as the two sisters shouted, "FIRE TWISTER!" the two getting close enough for Hitmonchan's burning boxing gloves to hit them hard multiple times, Squirtle now coughing up blood as both were out cold.

Hitmonchan took a deep breath and wiped sweat off of her forehead saying, "Man, they were more trouble than I thought they'd be," Hitmonlee nodding and saying, "Well, it's good that you won. Now no one can get in our way."

"Yes, your brother is right," Medicham replied, "Let's hurry on inside," the three nodding before heading toward the entrance to the shrine. But just as they were about to enter, all four were shocked to hear a familiar voice shout, "NOT SO FAST!"

Medicham gritted her teeth, slowly turning with fury in her expression when she saw Machoke and the others standing there with serious looks in their eyes, Machoke smirking and saying, "Well, looks like we finally caught up with you, and we're fully recovered, so we're ready for a rematch!"


	32. Chapter 32

Upon hearing Machoke's voice, Aipom's eyes widened as she immediately started moving in the bag, the boy noticing this as he snapped, "Hey, let her go! She has nothing to do with your plans!" Hitmonchan turning to Medicham and saying, "You know, he has a point. Why did we kidnap her again?"

The girl blinked before taking a deep breath and replying, "It was a safety precaution in case Machoke and his friends did catch up with us. By having her gagged, she is unable to give him advice," the members of the Hitmon family nodding in understanding save for Tyrogue who sighed, "You just made that up, didn't you?"

Medicham shot him a glare and remarked, "I have no idea what you're talking about," the girl all the while fidgeting with her hands as he sighed, "My god, you're a horrible liar," Machoke barking, "I don't care what the reason is! I just want you to let her go!"

"Don't forget handing over the mask, too," Blaziken replied, Machoke nodding and saying, "Yeah, that too. We need that back as well."

Hitmonchan briefly turned her attention away from the plan to look at Gallade as she smiled and winked at him, saying, "Hi, Gallade," the boy wincing as a chill went up his spine. He was never going to get used to this. Of course, Squirtle and Magnemite lying there was also quite intimidating.

Medicham no longer had the patience for this. Back on the train, she was calm and collective even when the team was attacked because, hey, they were on a moving train, so even while being distracted by heroes, they were still moving forward. But now they were not, so this seemed like nothing more than a major inconvenience.

Dodrio turned to Tyrogue as the middle head whispered, "I know you said we were just here to watch the magic the unfold, but I'm able to fight again," the right head nodding and replying, "And he's not just blowing smoke this time," Tyrogue letting out a sigh and replying, "Me too, but honestly, I have much more faith in these guys. We'll join in if we have to, but you know from experience how tough my siblings are."

However, it seemed Medicham had different plans than the heroes as she said in a forced calm voice, "You three keep them busy for me while I activate the mask from inside," Hitmonchan nodding and replying, "Yes, ma'am!" before striking a fighting pose, Hitmonlee and Hitmontop doing the same.

Machoke gritted his teeth as Gardevoir placed a hand delicately against his shoulder and squeaked, "We'll handle these three! You take care of Medicham," Machoke nodding with a warm smile and replying, "Thanks, you're the best."

However, the Hitmon family was not going to make this easy for him as all three rushed at him, attempting to stop him in his tracks. But just as they were about to do so, Blaziken rushed in Hitmonlee's way and sent a roundhouse toward him only for him to block the incoming kick and once again overpower her attack, knocking her on her back.

Gardevoir got in Hitmontop's way and attempted to stop her attack by grabbing onto her ankles only for the other girl to take full advantage of this and spin her body around, picking up Gardevoir and swinging her like she had Hitmonchan, only much faster as a means of making her dizzy.

Gallade, on the other hand, had stopped Hitmonchan by blocking her boxing glove with his arm blades, holding them in an X formation. However, the girl already had a countermeasure in mind as she saw an opening and her other glove just slightly above the belt as she believed in playing fair.

However, while Machoke's allies may have been losing right now, this certainly provided enough of a distraction for him to pass by them and run inside the shrine after Medicham, all three glad that he could at least pull that off. Now they had one less thing to worry about, or at least they hopes they did. After all, Machoke had lost rather easily to her, and for his first loss in his entire life to be so quick was certainly not something that could be brushed off and forgotten.

When the boy caught up with Medicham, he pointed at her and snapped, "Stop right there! I have a score to settle with you!" Medicham's eye twitching as she quickly resumed her calm look, sighing, "You just don't give up. I admire your fighting spirit, but that alone will not be enough to save you," the girl then setting Aipom and the mask down behind her and striking a battle pose with both arms lifted up, her hands pointed away from her head as she lifted one foot.

But just as Machoke got ready to fight, Medicham smirked, another rare look from her and shifted her lifted leg forward before sending it backward into the mask, sending it flying right atop a pedestal in the middle of the shrine. Machoke's eyes widened in sheer terror as the mask started to glow, his jaw dropped as it was too late now. Whatever they had planned for that mask, they had pulled off.

Or at least that was how it seemed. Just as quickly as Medicham's confidence returned, it quickly faded when she noticed the light vanish, her eyes wide with shock as the mask fell off the pedestal, landing on its side before repositioning itself upright, what with its side being too pointed for the mask to stay like that.

"No, this makes no sense," Medicham uttered, "Giratina was supposed to awaken! It says so in the scriptures!" Machoke shrugging and remarking, "Maybe the scriptures were wrong. You can't believe everything you read," Medicham gritting her teeth and fuming before retorting, "WELL, I'M STILL NOT GOING TO PRISON!"

Machoke panicked and remarked, "Geez, where did all that calmness go!?" the girl taking a deep breath and replying, "Well, I guess I am no longer in a rush, so I have no need to break character. The others can lose and be sent to prison for all I care, but there is no way you are taking me in. If I defeat you twice, reviving Giratina will seem like a small feat in comparison."

Aipom all the while just looked relieved that their plan had failed. Still, she really hoped Machoke could win after the way he had lost earlier. After all, there was no denying that Medicham was a force to be reckoned with, even if her initial plan had just failed miserably.

However, Machoke was not so calm right now as he gritted his teeth, remarking, "What the hell kind of ally are you!?" Medicham's eyes going wide as the boy added, "Seriously, they turned to you because you had a common goal! You were something they trusted, and now you're talking about how you're okay with them being beaten and arrested!? You guys may be evil, but at the very least, other villains I've met have had a sense of honour! Rotom and Scrafty, while not the best of friends, still seemed to care about each other and, well, Onix and Bisharp actually made for a really good team!"

"That is because they were weak," Medicham remarked with a sigh, "Look what happened to them. They all lost eventually. That will never happen to me because I do not let petty things like friendship distract me from what is truly important."

Machoke fumed more but figured this was getting him nowhere as he readied himself for the fight. Unfortunately, it seemed the Hitmon family might just win as the others were still getting beaten rather badly. Hitmonlee was standing on his hands while sending various kicks at Blaziken, the chicken holding up her arms in an X formation to block them only for a few to still end up hitting her. Hitmontop had sent Gardevoir flying into a pillar with her last more and was coming back for more. And of course, Gallade was still being overpowered by Hitmonchan's boxing gloves, Tyrogue and Dodrio now wondering if they should get involved.

However, just as Hitmontop got close to Gardevoir, the girl took a deep breath and prayed quietly, "Look, inner power. I know I've been trying to make myself good enough not to need your help, but this opponent is far too powerful. I was so badly beaten that I did not even have a chance to bring you out last time. I can't afford to have extreme pain be the only means of bringing you out, so please, help me right now before it's too late."

Right after she said this, her hands actually started to glow violet once more. Her eyes sparkled until the light faded, the girl staring at her palms in disappointment as Hitmontop spat, "YOU SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION!" Gardevoir panicking and sending her arms forward as a last ditch effort to block another strike.

Strangely enough, when Hitmontop's feet rammed into her hands, they actually stopped in their tracks while Hitmontop stopped moving. Gardevoir's eyes went wide as she took full advantage of this, lifting the opponent up and swinging her head-first into the pillar she had just been knocked into. After that, Gardevoir noticed her muscles becoming slightly more noticeable. Sure, she was still skinny as could be, but it was showing more and her chest even expanded just a tiny bit.

It seemed the glow fading was not a sign that her power had left her but that it had become a permanent part of her. In a shocking turn of events, Gardevoir's regular self had merged with her powerful self so her strength was now in-between the two states, stronger than her old self but not quite as strong as when the power was activated.

Things were starting to look up for Blaziken as well as light when Bouffalant had her in a similar spot, the chicken noticed Hitmonlee starting to slow down after a few kicks. With that in mind, she spread her arms out, letting the boy's feet get close to her before latching her arms around his ankles. Hitmonlee's eyes widened as she pulled back on them, causing the boy to land on his back.

She wasted no time getting onto his back and setting him up for a Boston crab, Hitmonlee's eyes widening. Blaziken would have used her family's famous submission hold, but she could not take the risk and knew this particular hold was much more difficult to get out of even if it was less painful.

Unfortunately, Gallade was not doing so well. While the girls had gotten the upper hand for the time being, he was still struggling as Hitmonchan continued to hit him with a variety of punches. Currently, she was tapping him multiple times with the top of her glove while pumping up her other fist, the girl sending a fierce uppercut to his chin.

Gallade coughed up blood as he fell hard on his back, Hitmonchan gasping, "Are you okay!? I didn't ruin your handsome face, did I?" Dodrio's right head asking, "What the hell? First she's going all-out in trying to beat him then she flirts with him?" Tyrogue sighing, "Yeah, she's been like this ever since she hit puberty. She puts business ahead of hormonal issues, but the flirtatiousness never truly leaves."

However, Gallade gritted his teeth and slowly pushed himself back up, taking deep breaths and uttering, "Alright, that's it," the boy rising all the way back up as Hitmonchan backed up, both scared and impressed as the boy grunted, "I am sick and tired of losing! Seriously, ever since I came to Earth, I've been getting my ass kicked, but not anymore! I can't call myself worthy of my position if I can't defeat one villain!"

Hitmonchan's heart raced when he said this as a big smile crossed her face, the girl batting her eyelashes. Gallade stared as she blushed, saying, "I have to admit, I easily fall for attractive men like you," the boy blinking and asking, "Attractive? Um, well..." the girl adding, "but now I know for sure that this is true love I'm feeling."

The girl then turned away and added, "Oh, but it can't work. We are on opposite sides," her eyes widening as she grinned, asking, "How about a deal? If I win, you have to join the forces of evil and go on a date with me!"

Gallade's eyes widened as he sighed, "Look, I'm flattered you feel like you do about me, really I am, but I can't agree to such a thing. If I become evil, it'll mean leaving my sister without me around to help her get through life. I can't do that," Hitmonchan smirking and remarking, "In other words, you're afraid I'll win."

Gallade gritted his teeth as she added, "I don't mind that. That answer made you even more attractive, but come on, after all that talk of winning, it sounds like you're not even sure anymore," the boy taking a deep breath and grumbling, "Alright, fine! If I lose, I'll strip myself of my hero title and go out with you!"

The boy panicked briefly before noticing both Gardevoir and Blaziken were too busy with their matches to hear him say this, letting out a sigh of relief. He could only imagine how his sister would react to him agreeing to such a thing because of pride.

While all of these events were going on, Machoke and Medicham's match had started with Machoke rushing toward Medicham. The girl simply waited for him to close in before sending her finger toward his chest.

Unfortunately for her, Machoke had seen enough of her technique to know this was coming. As such he very quickly grabbed hold of her wrist before hurling her hard into the wall. Medicham grunted in pain, feeling ashamed of herself for not seeing that coming. After all, he had done something similar before.

It did not end there as the boy proceeded rush at the weakened Medicham, sending a hard punch to her face. However, the girl ignored the pain as she rammed her palm hard into the boy's gut, his eyes going wide as she proceeded to send more palm punches into him.

"I'll give you some credit, you do seem capable of thinking from time to time," Medicham stated, "but you're still far too rash to defeat me. You should have seen this coming."

To make matters worse, Medicham quickly shifted from using her palms to her fingers, Machoke's eyes now even wider as he was starting to feel incredibly weak, just like before. After all, her finger punches were far stronger than any other of her other regular moves, especially with the way she new exactly which parts to hit.

With that, Medicham ended her assault by striking him hard in the chest shouting, "ACUPRESSURE!" applying three times as much force this time as Machoke coughed up blood. This was the same move she had used on Tyrogue and it had come very close to being the one finisher that could beat him.

It was so strong, in fact, that it actually left what looked like a burn on the very spot it had hit, Machoke falling hard on his back. Aipom had tears in her eyes, the monkey wishing she could have helped. It seemed even with Machoke knowing her style, he still could not stand up to her.

"Some champion fighter," she said with a look of disappointment in her eyes, "Even if he was a dunce, I still would have expected the one who defeated Talonflame to put up much more of a fight. You were actually better the first time we fought. You have learned nothing."

"Actually, there is something I have learned," Machoke grunted, Medicham's eyes wide with shock as he rubbed the light burn mark on his chest and added, "It's that you're not as strong as you seem."

"What are you talking about!?" Medicham retorted, gritting her teeth, "Look at how much damage I've dealt to you! It's a miracle you're still standing!" Machoke replying, "Actually, no, it isn't."

Medicham growled and rushed at him, sending an onslaught of finger punches into him before he could say more. However, Machoke ignored every hit and grabbed hold of her wrists, her eyes widening as he smirked, twisting them as she tried her best not to cry out in pain.

Afterwards, the boy lifted her high over his head while still holding her wrists, leaning backwards and slamming her head hard into the floor. Medicham groaned in pain and fell on her back, trying her best not to let this get to her.

"When I lost to you, I felt like I had taken in the worst pain ever, like nothing could be any worse than what I had just felt," Machoke stated as Medicham stared blankly at him, the boy adding, "But after the fight was over and we all woke up, I felt as if I had not taken in any damage whatsoever. It was almost as if your finger punches had actually done nothing to me."

"Well, it's only natural!" Medicham remarked, "You had time to rest up!" Machoke remarking, "We were only out for five minutes! Talonflame and his team mates had my friends hospitalized for a week and even Scrafty and Rotom had left Gallade and I feeling rather weak after our matches with them! You call them weaklings, but at least they had more of an effect on us than you did on me!"

Medicham gritted her teeth, fuming and barking, "ALRIGHT, FINE! SO I'M NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO KEEP OPPONENTS DOWN FOR A LONG TIME!" the girl taking a deep breath and adding, "But at the very least, I was able to keep you out long enough to make my escape, and that's good enough for me."

With that, Medicham readied herself once more as Machoke was feeling a bit more confident. And once again, Aipom was just so happy to see Machoke taking this as seriously as he was.

During this time, Gardevoir was on the defensive as Hitmontop had recovered from the pain dealt to her earlier, spinning toward the hero and hoping to take her by surprise. However, Gardevoir was once again ready, feeling more confident than ever before as she simply sent out a low kick when Hitmontop got close, causing her to lose her balance and fall flat on her face.

But just as Gardevoir was about to take full advantage of this, Hitmontop quickly rose up her tail and sending the spike hard into her shin. Gardevoir squeaked in pain as Hitmontop removed the spike, righting herself so she was balancing on her head spike yet again and spinning with her legs out. Gardevoir was unable to react in time as Hitmontop proceeded to kick her multiple time in the face, sending her flying back a bit.

Blaziken, on the other hand, was still doing a fairly good job keeping Hitmonlee in place, the chicken saying, "Come on, just give up," Hitmonlee retorting, "NO! THIS MOVE FOR ANYONE ELSE IS ALMOST INESCAPABLE, BUT I'M TOO STRONG TO BE BEATEN BY IT!" the boy applying extra forced to his legs as Blaziken smirked, retorting, "You overestimate yourself!"

"Not quite," Hitmonlee remarked as after a few seconds, he had actually managed to overpower the chicken as he threw his feet back, Blaziken no flying away from him with her head facing the ground. Just as she was about to position herself upright to avoid taking in pain, Hitmonlee used his hands to propel himself toward her, wrapping his ankles around her neck and lifting her up just a little bit before sending her down hard into the concrete.

All the while, Hitmonchan started sending more punches toward Gallade. However, the boy was more determined than ever as he blocked each incoming punch with his blade arms. Eventually he saw an opening and took full advantage of this, the boy a fierce chop with his hand into Hitmonchan's forehead.

The girl winced in pain as he proceeded to send another chop, this one to her gut before sending a fierce roundhouse into her cheek. After that, he leapt at her from behind and grabbed hold of her arms, leaning backward and planting the back of her neck hard into the ground. While the others were not looking so good, Gallade had shockingly gotten the upper hand, the boy taking a deep breath.

Unfortunately, his focus was directed elsewhere when he noticed Gardevoir taking in a rather fierce beating from Hitmontop, his eyes going wide as Hitmonchan slowly rose back to her feet. She rubbed the back of her neck, her cheeks pink as she thought, 'Oh my god, he touched me!' before noticing his guard was down.

Hitmontop continued to wail on Gardevoir, sending various kicks into her before springing into the air and sending a drop kick into her skull, the girl whimpering in pain and rubbing her forehead. Gallade wanted to go in and help but was stopped dead in his tracks when Hitmonchan crept up behind him, latching her arms around his shoulders as his eyes widened.

"A word of advice, never turn your back to your opponent, handsome," Hitmonchan said with a wink, tightening her hold on him as the boy's eyes widened, his cheeks turning a bit pink when he felt her chest pressing up against him. However, that thought soon left him when she lifted the boy up, delivering her own Suplex. As if that was not bad enough, this one was much more effective than Gallade's had been.

Now his advantage was gone while Gardevoir was now trying to find a way to get hers back. All the while, Hitmonlee had wrapped his legs around the downed Blaziken's neck, pulling hard with a figure-four headlock while the chicken cried out in agony. Things were not looking up now.

All the while, Medicham was attempting to strike Machoke with a series of finger punches. However, Machoke was actually managing to keep his distance, the girl grunting, "HOLD STILL!" only for Machoke to once again grab her wrists, twisting them again.

Medicham fumed and spat, "NO, LET GO!" only for Machoke to lean back again saying, "If that's really all you got, you can't possibly beat me!"

But just as it seemed Medicham was going to take in the same move from before, she was ready this time, a smirk forming on her face. With that, she shifted her legs downward, lifting them up before sending her feet hard into the boy's chest. This proved just effective enough for Machoke to stop his attack, falling hard against the floor and releasing his hold on the girl.

After that, Medicham proceeded to flip herself sideways, ramming her elbow hard into the boy's gut. With him now distracted, the girl proceeded to turn herself onto her back before reaching her arms up, grabbing hold of Machoke's wrists. Then then proceeded to wrap her ankles around his before pulling upward, shifting her back into an arch position while having a similar effect on Machoke.

The boy's eyes widened in agony as his back was now being bent horribly, Medicham smirking and saying, "You seem surprised, but yes, head-on attacks are not the only moves I know. I do have a few submission moves in my arsenal, and this is one of the best ones I know."

Machoke was now trapped in this hold as Aipom wished she could tell him what to do. Could he possibly get out of this?


	33. Chapter 33

While Machoke's back was being bent by Medicham, the others were still having it rough. Hitmonlee had Blaziken trapped in his figure-four headlock while Gardevoir was now trying to avoid being hit by Hitmontop and desperately looking for an opening to exploit. But of course, the one having the worst luck was Gallade as he was on his back, Hitmonchan sitting on him and raising her fist.

However, she was not setting up for another normal punch as this time, she focused hard as blue wind covered her boxing glove, the girl shouting, "ICE PUNCH!" about to strike him when the boy uttered, "Wow, you're incredible."

Hitmonchan stopped her attack, her eyes going wide as Gallade continued, "I mean it. You have to be the greatest fighter I've ever faced," the girl blushing with a big smile on her face as she asked, "You really think so," the cold wind leaving her glove as he added, "Yeah, in fact, forget the whole deal thing you were talking about."

Gardevoir and Blaziken actually heard him this time, Hitmonlee and Hitmontop as well as they all directed their attention away from their fights toward this. Of course, they were wondering what deal he was talking about since none of them had heard that conversation.

"What do you mean?" Hitmonchan asked as Gallade replying, "I mean I'm in love with you," the boy gazing into her eyes as Hitmonlee and Gardevoir both freaked out, their eyes wide with shock. However, both Hitmontop and Blaziken could tell he was planning something but said nothing, Hitmontop wanting this to be a good lesson for her sister.

Hitmonchan clearly did not pick up on this as she got back to her feet, holding her hand out toward Gallade as he took hold of it. All the boxer could think about now was skipping through a field of flowers with Gallade, though because the deal involved him becoming evil, he was also using his blade arms to mow down bunnies and birds.

Gardevoir let down tears sniffing, "Tell me this isn't true!? Why is my brother joining the dark side!?" Hitmonlee barking, "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, HITMONCHAN, THERE ARE BETTER MEN OUT THERE!" Tyrogue and Dodrio simply letting down big sweat drops while letting out simultaneous sighs.

However, once Gallade's hand made contact with Hitmonchan's glove, the boy smirked and quickly got up, getting behind the boxer while still holding her hand, now trapping it behind her back as she winced in pain. The boy then proceeded to lift her up, holding out his knee and slamming the spot between her legs into it for an atomic drop.

The girl groaned and rubbed her rear end, asking, "What was that for, honey?" Gardevoir and Hitmonlee staring silently as Gallade sighed, "Look, Hitmonchan, I'm not gonna lie. You're hot, very hot, but someone who serves evil can never be beautiful," the boy taking a deep breath and adding, "Even if I were to lose and uphold my end of the bargain, I can never truly love you. I'm saving my heart for someone on the side of good."

Hitmonchan's eyes widened, her jaw dropped as she felt her heart snap in two, Gardevoir taking a deep breath and saying, "Oh, okay, he was just tricking her," Hitmontop blinking and asking, "You seriously didn't catch onto that?"

Hitmonlee simply folded his arms and nodded, saying, "Hopefully she's learned a valuable lesson after this," Blaziken now standing upright with Hitmonlee's legs still on her head as she held onto them, the chicken saying, "I hope you've learned a lesson too, never drop your guard during a fight!" the bird leaning backward and slamming his back hard into the concrete.

Gardevoir and Hitmontop also remembered their fight as Hitmontop started spinning at Gardevoir again, the girl now back on the defensive. However, Hitmonchan simply bit her lip as she was now torn up between what side to fight for. On one hand, Gallade's commitment to his sister and all things good were such attractive qualities and Hitmonchan was not lying when she said she felt true love after witnessing such things earlier. But on the other hand, she felt that her decision to turn evil was the right one.

With that, she took a deep breath and stated, "I guess some sacrifices have to be made if one is to succeed," before focusing hard on her boxing glove and applying enough energy to make it and her fist twice the size of her head, sending it toward Gallade and shouting, "MACH PUNCH!"

However, Gallade simply held up his arms and blocking the incoming punch with his blades, the boy spreading out his legs and doing his best to hold his ground. The truth was that due to the power of this attack, he was taking in quite a bit of pain to his arms while holding back the glove. However, he knew that he would have to ignore this pain if he was to win, Hitmonchan's eyes going wide as he threw his arms out, sending her arm back as the back of the fist flew hard into the girl's face.

This gave Gallade just the opportunity he needed as he crossed his arms, rushing toward the boxer and shouting, "PSYCHO CUT!" sending an X-shaped slash into her chest and cutting it open, Hitmonchan's eyes going wide, her mouth hanging open as she fell on her back, the girl laying there, barely breathing now.

'I did it,' Gallade thought while Blaziken now had Hitmonlee in an arm lock, the boy taking a deep breath and smiling, thinking, 'I finally got my first victory on Earth.'

During this time, Machoke was trying to find a way out of this technique as Medicham laughed, saying, "Struggle all you like, boy. It's not going to help," the girl then shifting her weight, causing her and Machoke to roll like a wheel before Medicham slammed the boy's face into the floor.

Medicham continued to hold the boy as Aipom struggled to free herself from her bindings. She wished she could at least remove the tape from her mouth so she could help. Things had been looking well at first, but now she was not so sure Machoke would win this.

However, Machoke's eyes widened after a while as he thought, 'Wait, I can get out of this,' before twisting his wrists and ankles a bit, propping his wrists out at the very least. Medicham's eyes went wide as he allowed himself to fall with his elbow pointed downward, ramming them into her shoulders as she winced in pain and released her hold on his ankles.

The boy would not let such an advantage go as he rolled the girl onto her belly and wrapped his arms around her neck. He also used his right ankle to lift up her leg, applying pressure to that while bending it. Medicham's eyes were wide as she tried desperately to find a way out of this.

Machoke breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I must admit, that actually scared me. I'd forgotten how to get out of something like that for a while," Medicham growling and trying desperately to get out of the hold. She tried shifting her weight but that did not seem to work.

However, she then realized something she could do to get out of this as she spread out her arms sideways, pointing her fingers down and placing them against the floor. Machoke and Aipom's eyes widened at the sight of this as the girl shouted, "ACUPRESSURE!" using the finger punch to push herself up so all but her fingers were touching the mat.

With that, she lowered her one free leg and used it to propel her back upward, applying just enough force to get Machoke off of her as both were back on their feet. Medicham growled as she was no longer going to give Machoke a chance like that, the girl sending her finger into his neck and shouting, "ACUPRESSURE CHOKESLAM!" lifting up Machoke with her finger before slamming him hard against the mat with it still in his neck.

Machoke's eyes were wide open as he lay there in pain. Sure, a chokeslam was not quite enough to keep him down, but add the pressure being applied to his neck and it caused much more damage. Aipom was now terrified as it looked like Machoke would not be getting up any time soon.

During this time, Gallade walked over to Tyrogue and Dodrio, taking a seat with a deep breath as Tyrogue gave him thumbs up saying, "Good job," Dodrio's middle head saying, "Well, I can't say I approve of such a tactic, but yeah, good job, mate."

"I wasn't completely lying, though," Gallade replied with a grin, "If your sister decides to become good again, I wouldn't mind going out with her," Tyrogue blinking as he added, "That is if it's okay with you," the boy shrugging and replying, "You are probably the best guy she's fallen for, but don't get your hopes up."

Of course, right now Gardevoir was going to need his support as Hitmontop was back to kicking her, Gallade shouting, "GARDEVOIR, YOU CAN DO THIS!" the girl's eyes widening as she turned toward her brother, the boy adding, "That's right, sis! I won! I finally won a match here on Earth!" her eyes going wider as he added, "If I can beat someone like Hitmonchan, you can win this easily! Find a way!" Gardevoir nodding with a big smile on her face, now ignoring the pain dealt by Hitmontop's kicks and grabbing hold of her ankles.

Hitmontop's eyes widened as the girl squeaked, "My power has now become a permanent part of me. There is no excuse for me to be beaten so easily, not anymore!" the girl then hurling her opponent into the air, leaping up after her.

Once she was close enough, she latched into the sides of Hitmontop's head and flipped her upside-down, tilting her head forward a bit so her spike would not be facing the concrete. With that, Gardevoir descended toward the ground with her lower body up just slightly above her head as she squealed, "METEOR BOMB!" slamming Hitmontop's head hard into the concrete, the villain coughing up blood before passing out, Tyrogue cheering for Gardevoir and whistling at her.

Gallade gave him an awkward look as he sighed, "It wasn't that kind of whistle," the boy nodding and replying, "Just making sure," before exclaiming, "YOU ROCK, SIS!" Gardevoir smiling bright but feeling too weak to fight any longer.

But it hardly seemed to matter as Blaziken was now on Hitmonlee's back, sending various punches to the back of his head as he tried desperately to block them with his hands, as well as he could seeing as his eyes were facing the ground.

However, after a few more hits, Hitmonlee started thinking of a strategy, something he did not always do. Suddenly, a plan of action came to him as he lifted up his legs, bending them back and sending them at Blaziken's back. One ended up hitting her back but the other ended up missing, thus the chicken ignored the pain to her back and wrapped her arm around his ankle.

Hitmonlee's eyes widened with shock as Blaziken smirked, saying, "Nice try, but you'd be better off giving up!" the boy growling before remarking, "NO!"

And just like before with the Boston Crab, Hitmonlee ended up throwing his leg back hard enough to send Blaziken flying off of him. However, the chicken was ready this time for when he leapt at her with the intent of wrapping his ankles around her neck, she simply held her arms up against each side as his ankles ended up hitting them instead.

Hitmonlee's eyes widened as Blaziken grabbed hold of both ankles, slamming the boy hard against the mat before propelling herself above him. With that, flames surrounded her feet as she spat, "BLAZE KICK!" sending both feet hard into Hitmonlee's back, finally knocking him out and breathing a sigh of relief.

Her friends applauded her as Dodrio's right head said, "Wow, you guys are awesome," Blaziken sighing, "I just hope Machoke's having it as good as we are. After all, his fight is the most important one."

Machoke continued to lie on the floor, his body completely still as Medicham took a deep breath, saying, "I'll admit, Machoke, you did put up a good fight. You do seem to at least have some intelligence in you, but that semblance of strategy was not enough to save you."

However, when Medicham proceeded to walk toward the door leading outside, her eyes widened when she felt something grab her ankle. Aipom's hope returned as Machoke smirked, uttering, "I told you, you're not strong enough to knock me out for good," the girl gritting her teeth and snapping, "SHUT UP AND STAY DOWN!" the girl raising her other foot and ramming it hard into the boy's skull.

However, Machoke simply ignored this and grabbed her other ankle before pulling on both of them, causing Medicham to fall on her face. Afterwards, the boy proceeded to lift her up, leaning backwards and slamming her back hard into the floor.

However, Medicham was not going to let this stop her as she ignored the pain to her back, springing back upright while Machoke still held her ankles and sent her palms hard into his cheeks. The boy simply ignored the pain this dealt and leaned his head forward, sending it back and striking Medicham in the gut.

After that, the girl released her hold on him and leapt back, taking a deep breath with a look of irritation on her face. She knew Machoke was supposed to be a threat, but she could not believe how persistent he was.

But there was no way she was going to stop now, her teeth gritted as she sprinted toward the boy. Her patience had pretty much been shattered now as she was not even going to attempt the defensive strategy. She just wanted to make sure Machoke would not get up again.

As such, the sent a hard palm punch toward him only for the boy to block it with his arm only for the girl to grab his wrist. After that, she used said wrist like a pole and swung herself behind Machoke's back, pulling the arm back while wrapping her legs around his waist, bending Machoke's back as he cried out in pain.

"You see this!?" the girl barked with a smirk, "This is another one of my submission holds, and this is one I don't think many people use!" Aipom whimpering as Machoke could not think of a good way out of this.

Medicham laughed and exclaimed, "Finally! It seems I've found a move that you can't get out of!" Machoke all the while thinking of what Aipom would suggest in a situation like this. After all, he could falling backwards and slamming Medicham's back into the floor, but that would have likely caused him much more pain and might even snap his backbone. He could try using his other arms in an attempt to get her off, but that would have had a similar effect.

But then he felt something odd, and it was not long before he realized what that something was. Medicham's grip on his arm was starting to weaken and even her legs felt like they were starting to give out. It seemed after all her efforts, Medicham was starting to run out of energy. So this was why she always aimed for the pressure points, because she had neither the strength nor the energy to last more than a certain amount of time fighting someone. No wonder she had lost patience despite the fact that she no longer had a reason to rush.

With that, Machoke pretended the hold did not hurt anymore, the boy gulping and asking, "Is this really the best you can do!?" Medicham's eyes widening as she spat, "You're bluffing!" the boy remarking, "No, I'm not! Seriously, I was simply shocked to fall into such a move before, but yeah, the more I think about it, the more I realize it's not that powerful of a hold!"

Medicham fumed and spat, "ALRIGHT, FINE, I'LL PULL EVEN HARDER!" the girl doing just that as Machoke's back was being bent a bit more, Aipom's eyes widening. She could tell the boy had been bluffing when he said that, that he had been trying to get the girl to use more force, but why?

The answer became clear as this one big effort had Medicham trying her best not to breathe heavily as sweat was pouring down her entire body now, Machoke smirking as he finally pulled out of the hold, throwing his other arm back and ramming his elbow hard into her face. Medicham could not believe this as she backed up, unable to avoid breathing heavily.

"I see it now," Machoke said, "You dish out a lot of fancy attacks and aim for weak spots because you yourself are not as strong as you let on. You try to end fights as quickly as possible because you can't handle more than a certain amount of time, can you?"

Medicham gritted her teeth before sighing, "You're right," Aipom and Machoke both shocked to hear her flat-out admit it as she spat, "THERE, IS SAID IT! YOU'RE RIGHT!"

Medicham then looked down and sighed, "The truth is, my family has never been accustomed to fighting. We spend our days learning how to relax and empty our minds of the world's problems. But I simply could not do that. I thought the ways of my family were stupid. I mean, how can you just kick back and act like the world doesn't have problems, especially when these problems are everywhere? You can't do that, that's how!?"

'Geez, I didn't think this would end up being family-related,' Machoke thought as Medicham added, "When I was growing up, my father constantly tried to teach me to be relaxed in even the worst of situations, but I thought that was the dumbest thing I had ever heard. As such, I became a villain and taught myself to fight just so I could teach my family a lesson, show them that the only way to become successful in this world is with brute force."

Machoke and Aipom looked at each other as if they were listening to the ramblings of a madman while Medicham continued, "But as you've deducted, my body was never meant to be all that strong. As such, I formed a new method of fighting, using my father's teachings and combining them with Kung Fu. It was then I learned how to pinpoint a person's pressure points and take full advantage of those. Even the lightest of strikes to such a spot could render a person useless, even if it was only for a few seconds."

The girl then smirked and added, "That is how I developed what I like to call The Acupressure Technique. Normal acupressure is used for relaxing other people's muscles by massaging the body, but I found a way to make it deadly by using just my fingers as opposed to the whole hand."

All went silent as Machoke uttered, "So you thought turning a massage technique into a weapon would make you deadly in combat," Medicham fuming as she leapt at Machoke shouting, "WELL, I AT LEAST KNOW A TECHNIQUE THAT CAN DEFEAT YOU!" her foot pointed toward his gut.

However, Machoke was all too familiar with this technique as he simply grabbed her by the leg saying, "I think this has gone on long enough," before hurling her high into the air, her head facing the floor as he leapt up to her level, wrapping his arms and legs around her. Medicham's eyes went wide as she was far too weak to get out of this hold, Machoke shouting, "ULTIMATE DRIVER!"

With that, the boy slammed her head hard into the floor as her eyes and mouth were both wide open. He then released his hold on her as her body collapsed, the girl down for the count as Machoke took a deep breath, saying, "Geez, that was really annoying."

Aipom bounced up and down while still tied up as Machoke nodded, running over and untying her, removing her tape as well. The monkey had a big smile on her face as she let down light tears, leaping onto Machoke's head and hugging him tightly, Machoke's eyes going wide as he once again had trouble breathing.

"Thank you so much!" the monkey screeched, "You saved me again!" Machoke rolling his eyes and deciding not to make a big deal out of this.

The others were still waiting outside when they noticed Machoke and Aipom exit, Aipom holding the mask as the Hitmon family had just regained enough consciousness to see this very sight. They could not exactly move the rest of their bodies as they were too badly injured, but their senses were still working.

"Guess we lost," Hitmonchan groaned as Hitmonlee sighed, "I guess we did choose the wrong path," Hitmontop letting down tears and sniffing, "I feel so ashamed!"

"MACHOKE, YOU DID IT!" Gardevoir squealed, running over to the boy and giving him a hug as Blaziken replied, "Was there ever any doubt?" Machoke replying, "Honestly, Medicham was all talk," Tyrogue staring in confusion as he added, "She was actually a big weakling hiding behind fancy tricks. I don't know why your siblings chose to follow her."

"I can think of other reasons to question that," Tyrogue remarked before glaring at the three, adding, "Seriously, all of this just because you couldn't wait a little longer? Do you have any idea how immature that sounds?"

"Now I do," Hitmontop replied with a sigh, "and to be honest, I, no, we all should have known better. I bet Mom and Dad are so disappointed in us now," Hitmonchan replying, "No kidding. I don't even know if the world will forgive us for this."

"I'm sure they will," Machoke said with a warm smile as Aipom nodded and added, "And he's not just saying that. Remember Bisharp and Scrafty?"

Hitmonlee simply blinked and replied, "Oh yeah, what about them?" Gallade explaining, "It's quite amazing. After being released from prison, the two became heroes. It took a while, but the world has actually learned to trust them. After all, villains turning good happened quite a bit back in the day."

"So there's hope for us?" Hitmonchan asked as Gardevoir nodded, replying, "It's never too late to start over," Tyrogue folding his arms and saying, "Come on, I think it's time we all live the dream as opposed to just me," Dodrio's heads all nodding.

With that, Hitmonchan let down tears and sniffed, "I'm so sorry, Tyrogue! We were so selfish!" Hitmontop adding, "Can you ever forgive us!?" Tyrogue sighing, "Well, as long as you can admit it, how can I not forgive you?" all three happy as could be.

Medicham was of course taken into custody immediately and the mask was returned, though everyone was shocked when Aipom told them the altar in the shrine had no effect on it. Whatever the reason was, this was at least good news, so there was no need to question it further.

The Hitmon family turned themselves in shortly after making amends with their parents. Tyrogue volunteered to go with them to ease the pain. Weedle was going to sentence them to time in prison in which all three were prepared to accept it, but Tyrogue pleaded they be given a second chance.

Weedle was hesitant to go along with this at first as he had already made enough mistakes as chairman over the past, but Tyrogue seemed really sure of himself. As such, the caterpillar immediately enrolled them in hero school, only as a form of punishment, he made sure all three were watched by security guards at all times, even during bedtime to make sure they did not have a 'sudden change of heart'.

All-in-all, things had turned out for the best. And to make matters even better, Giratina's mask had been sealed away in a vault on Hero Planet with a security system so tough, it would be near impossible to break into it. There was no way they would keep it on display to the public again, not after these events.


	34. Chapter 34

The month had passed and the rest of the Hitmon family had graduated easily. All three were stationed together as they were a good team, but they had not been stationed in the same area as Tyrogue. Instead they had been assigned to protect Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. They did send Tyrogue emails every now and then and he of course did the same so it was all well and good in the end.

As if the good news could not end, every hero had finally graduated from the academy. This meant the whole world was now in good hands. No area was short on heroes or in desperate need of help. Things could not be going better right now.

However, there was on figure who was not as happy as he should have been, and of all people, he should have been happiest of all. That someone was Weedle as now that evil was truly at bay, there was something else bothering him, but what could it possibly be?

"Dammit!" the caterpillar cursed to himself, "I don't get it! Even with Earth so well-protected, we're not making much!" the worm then taking a deep breath and grumbling, "It's like now that the students have all been trained, people don't feel the need to send us funding anymore."

Weedle then let out a long sigh before crawling onto a chair and tapping his tail against the table in front of it. What could he possibly do? After all, without financial backing, there was no way to keep the academy around for future generations. There could no longer exist a Tower of Justice. What could he possibly do?

The caterpillar then looked around in panic, but whatever he was looking for clearly was not there was he let out a disappointed sigh. This was something he knew even Ambipom's advice could not get him out of. She have been a fighting expert, but she was no financial genius.

However, his thought process ended when the door to the area opened, his eyes going wide as the one who entered was a wasp who stood there nervously and said, "Um, hi, you're Weedle, correct?"

"Oh, god, I told security I don't want any guests right now, no matter how important they might be," Weedle groaned before turning, his eyes widening as the wasp asked, "Are you alright?" the caterpillar barking, "I've seen the records regarding you! I've seen your photo and everything!"

The wasp stared in confusion as the caterpillar added, "Yes, you're Beedrill! You killed Watchog so you could sneak into the academy and kill Machoke!"

The wasp let out a sigh and replied, "It's true, I did some terrible, unforgivable things and I'm mad at myself for doing them," Weedle glaring at him to make sure this was not simply an act as Beedrill added, "But I can assure you, I am good. See, when I was sent to prison, I really got to thinking and realized how horrible my actions were, so I swore I would be reformed as a hero."

"Are you telling me the warden let you out because of that?" the caterpillar remarked as the wasp remarked, "Oh no, in fact, there are officers poised outside in case I try to make a getaway. They escorted me here," Weedle remarking, "And why the hell would they do that!? That makes even less sense!"

"Well, it's because they came across a shocking discovery that even I didn't know of until recently," Beedrill replied, "They didn't tell me about this until I promised that I'd be good. You know how blood samples and fingerprints are taken of villains to keep on record, right?" Weedle nodding and remarking, "Yes, and then they're sent to Scientists to be analyzed so that way, we can always tell exactly whose DNA it is no matter what kind of obstruction gets in the way."

"Yes, well the Scientists came to a realization when analyzing mine," Beedrill stated before asking, "Do you remember the night you were made chairman of Hero Planet?"

Weedle blinked and replied, "Oh yes, but are you saying you know the details?" the wasp replying, "No, but someone you know does, and from what I've learned, let's just say that night is related to this."

"Well," the caterpillar sighed, trying to put this all into place before adding, "that was both the happiest and most embarrassing night of my life," Beedrill looking even more interested as the caterpillar decided he may as well continue.

"Back in the day, I would always keep a flask of whisky handy for when I got nervous, and that night was the most nervous I had ever been. So much responsibility was just so much to take in. Sure, I had wanted this my whole life. I'd worked tirelessly toward it, but even so, it was still a lot to take in, so I drank more than ever before. I don't really remember the rest of the night, probably because I was too drunk."

Beedrill nodded and sighed, "Well, that brings me to my next point. Do you remember your old assistant?" Weedle nodding and replying, "Oh, yes, Hivewire. She was nice, always got me through tough times with her optimism, but was always flirting with me. I've never been interested in romance, so I'd always turn down her advances."

"Well, not that night you didn't," Beedrill replied, Weedle's eyes going wide as he uttered, "What are you talking about?" Beedrill replying, "Well, from what she told me, you started advancing on her that night," Weedle asking, "Wait, you know Hivewire?" the wasp replying, "I'll get to that in a bit, but yeah, according to her, you invited her to your house for a, ahem, 'good time'," Weedle's eyes going wide as he shook his head.

"It's true," Beedrill replied, "You had a one night stand with her," Weedle staring some more before asking, "Do you have proof of this?" Beedrill nodding before pulling out a documentation of the results, Weedle groaning, "Oh god, so that's why she quit the following day. She must have felt guilty. She didn't tell me why she quit. I bet it was so I wouldn't feel responsible."

Beedrill nodded as the caterpillar groaned, "Don't tell me, you know her because you're her son, aren't you?" the wasp nodding as all went silent.

"Look, I don't want this to be any more awkward than it already is," Beedrill stated as Weedle remarked, "Well, it certainly can't get any more awkward! Why are you here!?" Beedrill letting down light tears and sniffing, "Well, I wanna get to know you more, Dad, make a connection, be an actual son to you."

Weedle glared at him and said, "Well, you don't seem to be lying, but look, don't expect me to take care of you. I'm suffering some serious financial problems right now."

"Oh, is that so?" Beedrill asked as Weedle nodded, the wasp's eyes sparkling as he exclaimed, "I know a way you can make money again!"

"Are you suggesting I steal money from people!?" Weedle retorted as the wasp remarked, "No, I'm past that point, remember!? No, I know of a method so simple, I'm certain you would have come up with it eventually!" the caterpillar blinking and asking, "Oh, so this is actually legal?" Beedrill nodding.

Weedle then shrugged and said, "Well, I'm open to anything at this point," Beedrill nodding and replying, "Well, there's a certain event that has not been held in a long time, twenty years to be exact. Machamp won it twice and then for whatever reason, it was never seen again. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Weedle's eyes went wide as he nodded in understanding, saying, "That's right. You're talking about the Hero Olympics, aren't you?" Beedrill nodding and replying, "Yes, an event where heroes compete for the honour of not only representing their countries but also the honour of their families. But you know what else happens as a result of it?" Weedle nodding and replying, "That's right, proceeds go to Hero Planet, and many would pay a fortune to see this event in person."

"Exactly!" Beedrill replied, "And with crime going down by the day, this is a perfect time to hold it!" Weedle's eyes sparkling as he let down light tears and sniffed, "Give me a hug, son!" the wasp embracing him as both shared a nice laugh with each other.

The following day, no one else was really thinking about such things, but what was on Machoke's mind especially was that today was Gardevoir's birthday. Gallade had told him about it while Machoke suggested throwing a surprise party before Gallade could. Today was the day they would throw it, and it was located at their usual club. They even got the owner and all the guests to play along.

Gardevoir did not even think of this and was simply happy to be with her friends as they all walked toward the building. Reika was also with them and wearing a cute sleeveless shirt. Aipom was also with them this time wearing a baseball cap and a T-shirt, feeling happy to finally join the group.

Machoke had dressed in a more casual outfit than usual for the occasion while Gallade wore a pair of shorts as always. Blaziken wore a cowboy vest and a pair of slacks while Gardevoir was dressed in her jersey, Gallade trying his best not to question this. Heck, her whole reason for wearing it was because he had told her, without revealing too much, to wear something special today, and this jersey was a symbol of the first time she ever felt confident during a fight, so she considered it very special.

The group soon came to the club and entered, all of the guests giving Gardevoir a quick glance before going back to what they were doing, keeping up their charade. Gardevoir was none-the-wiser as she squealed, "What are we gonna do first!?" Machoke grinning and exclaiming, "Gallade, you wanted to give the karaoke machine a shot first, right!?"

Gallade nodded and replied, "You got it, buddy!" the boy walking over to the machine and picking up a microphone, the owner grinning as the machine started up.

At that moment, rock music started to come from it as Gallade and everyone else in the club belted, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!" Gardevoir gasping and looking around while everyone continued to sing, "Happy birthday, Gardevoir, happy birthday to you!"

At that moment, the people in the area pulled streamers out of their pockets and threw them into the air. Gardevoir was blushing uncontrollably now as a big vanilla mousse cake was brought over to the table and placed in front of her. Everyone applauded the girl as Machoke and the others gave her thumbs up.

"Gallade, you're the best brother in the world!" Gardevoir squeaked, "You went all the way this year!" Gallade shaking his head and replying, "Don't look at me. This was all Machoke's idea," Machoke smiling and nodding as Gardevoir gave him a big hug, squealing, "Thank you all so much!"

"Well, better blow out the candles," Reika said with a smile, Gardevoir replying, "They look so pretty, but we don't want to get wax in the cake I guess," the girl then blowing on them, one remaining lit as Reika smirked, stating, "Oh, look at that, Gardevoir has a boyfriend," Gardevoir's cheeks turning pink as she squeaked, "Do not!" giggling all the while.

Gallade was just relieved to see her so happy even though by this point, he knew that her standards were not particularly high when it came to birthday parties. Ever since her birth, she had always been taught that it was the thought that counted, so she never really had standards. Even if everyone forgot, she would always be fine with it.

After Gardevoir quickly blew out the last candle, everyone was ready for cake, all planning to bring out their presents for her afterwards. However, while the group was eating, a news article came up on the TV, everyone surprised to see Weedle in front of the screen.

"Oh no, it's that asshole again," Machoke groaned as Aipom smacked him, grunting, "Don't be rude!" Machoke sighing, "I should have seen that coming."

"People of Earth, Hero Planet has already been informed of this, but I have some unsettling news," Weedle stated, everyone gasping, thinking this might have been another villain attack or something along those lines while the caterpillar adding, "I have been chairman of Hero Planet for many years, and it has been a great honour, and yet now as the still relatively young age of forty-seven, I am retiring from my position."

All went silent as Machoke shrugged, saying, "Good riddance. That guy was a jerk," Aipom remarking, "Look, I can understand why you'd say that, but Mister Weedle has been chairman of Hero Planet for many years! This is sad news! Right, guys?" the others looking at each-other, even Gardevoir having trouble agreeing with the monkey on this one.

"But don't be too sad," Weedle added, "It's been an honour serving Hero Planet for all these years, but I think it's finally time to hand the torch to someone else. Everyone, I would like to introduce my son, Beedrill!"

Blaziken, Gallade and Gardevoir all freaked out at the mention of this name, Machoke tilting his head to the side asking, "Who's that?" the wasp standing in front of the mic as the boy spat, "THAT'S THE GUY WHO TRIED TO MURDER ME IN HERO SCHOOL!"

"Hello, citizens of Earth, yes, I am indeed Weedle's son," Beedrill stated, "I only found this out some time ago and, well, it's such a high honour to be chairman, especially at such a young age," all going silent in the area, the wasp adding, "I hope you can all accept me as the new chairman. I used to be a villain, but I can assure you I have learned my lesson and only wish to serve the side of justice now. That is the truth."

People still had no idea how to react as the wasp added, "This is not the only subject of this announcement. Oh no, my dad and I have something exciting planned for everyone."

Weedle nodded and stepped in front of the camera saying, "Thank you, son," the caterpillar replying, "We are going to hold an event that has not been held for a long time, too long in fact. It's a time-honour tradition that has gone on for ages and is only sponsored by the government of Hero Planet," everyone rather curious about what this was. After all, it had been so long that the world had kind of forgotten its existence.

"I of course speak of the Hero Olympics," Weedle added as Aipom's eyes widened, Blaziken exclaiming, "Wow, I did not see that coming!" Machoke simply picking his right nostril with his pinky finger, Aipom face-palming as once again, the boy seemed clueless.

"It is a great event where heroes from around the world compete for the grand prize but also for the honour of their families and home countries," Weedle explained, "There is only one way to qualify, and that is to return to your home country and compete in an elimination wrestling tournament. There are a total of three or four tournaments consisting of three matches in each country, each tournament being held in a different city. Details will be sent to you if you sign up, and trust me, you'll be given instructions on how to do that by going to one of these various locations," pointing out a variety of sign-up spots on his world map.

Beedrill nodded and stated, "I can guarantee this will be exciting, but you only have two weeks to sign up and what's more, you must be in your home country to sign up. That means if you're assigned to protect a different area, in which most of you are, you must find a way to make it there in time. Just show them your hero IDs and whatever mode of transportation you choose is free of charge."

"Hero ID?" Machoke asked as the others looked at each other, Aipom sighing, "You all should have gotten an ID card from the government when you graduated," Gallade nodding and replying, "Oh yeah, our ID cards," the boy pulling his out of his wallet as the others did as well, Machoke saying, "I thought this was just to confirm us as citizens. I didn't know it was specifically linked to being a hero."

With that, the broadcast ended as Machoke sighed, "That sounds like a waste of time, right, guys?" Blaziken smirking and remarking, "Are you kidding!? Once this party is over, I'm on the first flight back to Texas!"

Machoke turned to Gallade and Gardevoir as Gallade shrugged, replying, "Sorry, Machoke, but I agree. This sounds like a great opportunity," Machoke then gazing at Gardevoir and saying, "Surely you don't feel up to it."

"Well, the old me wouldn't have, that's for sure," Gardevoir replied, smiling softly and replying, "but ever since you helped me gain the confidence I needed to fight, I really feel like I could stand a chance in this, so I'm going to try out too," Machoke's eyes going wide as Aipom said, "And you're going to compete too, right, Machoke?" the boy retorting, "ARE YOU CRAZY!?"

However, the owner of the club simply grinned at Gardevoir and exclaimed, "We're all proud of you, Gardevoir! Three cheers for the birthday girl!" everyone chanting her name three times as Machoke said nothing more, not wanting to spoil the mood.

After the party was done, everyone was getting ready to set off as Gallade asked Machoke, "So, are you sure you don't wanna sign up? I mean, you represent Japan. You don't actually have to leave the country," Machoke replying, "Yeah, you guys have fun. I'm just gonna relax here and maybe catch you guys on TV."

Gardevoir gave the boy a hug and said, "Try not to be too lonely," Reika sighing, "Don't worry, we're still around," directing a gaze at Aipom who gave her thumbs up with her tail hand as Blaziken gave Machoke thumbs up saying, "Maybe I can get my family the first place spot they've been needing."

And with that, Gardevoir and Gallade took a plane to France while Blaziken took off toward another airport where a plane to Texas was going to be coming by within the hour. Machoke took a deep breath as Reika patted him on the shoulder, asking, "Are you really sure you don't want to try out?" Machoke remarking, "I'm certain," Aipom all the while trying her best to respect his decision but having a very hard time doing it.

Most of this stemmed from just how much Machoke had grown. He had become such a serious fighter, so devoted to his job as a hero that to see him scared of friendly competition made no sense to her. There was no use holding it back: she was going to have a talk with him later.

One week and six days later, Machoke was watching TV to pass the time, looking bored out of his skull. Aipom saw this as the perfect opportunity to try and convince him to join.

However, the monkey knew how Machoke would respond if she tried to just straight up tell him to join or ask him why he was so hesitant. He would take in the wrong way and lash out at her for 'bothering him' about it. She had to take more subtle and friendly approach.

As such, she sat down next to him and asked, "So, what's on?" Machoke sighing, "Nothing but news reports related to that stupid event," Aipom remarking, "But it's not stupid! It's a grand competition to see who the greatest hero in the world is, and what's more, the winner wears the championship belt, a symbol of power and courage!"

"Yeah, risk my health for a sweaty belt," Machoke remarked, "Sounds like time well spent to me," Aipom taking a deep breath and asking, "Do you even know anything about the Hero Olympics," Machoke nodding and replying, "Yeah, I know my dad won it twice."

Aipom's eyes were wide as she uttered, "Wow, I can't believe you actually know that," Machoke sighing, "Yeah, he liked to brag about it a lot to guests. He never specifically talked to me about it, though, mainly because he didn't want to pressure me into following in his footsteps."

"Or maybe he just thought you weren't worthy of performing such a task," Aipom replied with a smirk, clearly bluffing but hoping Machoke would not catch on as the boy asked, "Do you really think so?" the monkey nodding and adding, "I bet he thought you'd be too weak to win the belt, so he never felt the need to motivate you."

"Well, he was right," Machoke replied, getting up and adding, "I wouldn't say I'm too weak, but I definitely don't care enough," the boy exiting the house as Aipom let out a sigh, shaking her head in disappointment. Knowing Machoke's temper, she was certain those words would likely get under his skin.

However, as the day went by, Machoke continued to feel more lonely. He went to the club to try and calm down, but despite having gotten to know everyone there, there was something keeping him from having conversations with them without his friends there to join him. He later decided to catch a movie but, once again, nothing good was playing, the boy beyond disappointed.

Later, he went to the arcade, actually performing quite well that one fighting game he had played before that was based off of various heroes protecting Earth. It had even been updated with an even larger roster, so he was simply plowing through characters while playing as himself.

"Aw yeah, did you see that!?" the boy exclaimed, turning to notice no one was there to congratulate him or even challenge him to a two-player game.

With that, the boy exited and noticed many people standing around and watching a big-screen TV attached to the side of a building talking more about the event. However, this time it was different as the station was showing footage of previous Hero Olympics.

One such footage was of Machamp using the Muscle Tombstone to defeat a silver cyborg named Registeel. In fact, that was the very day the man had actually developed the technique and surprised the entire world. Up to that point, he had always relied on any finisher he could think of to win his matches, even if they were not that impressive.

He then saw footage of Blaziken's mother, Combusken, facing off against a steel bird named Scarmory in the first round of the twenty-first Hero Olympics. Scarmory had been dominating her during that match, but just as all seemed lost, the chicken seized victory with a Blaze Kick to the back, only unlike Blaziken's version, this one only had her using one foot making the victory even more impressive.

There was even footage of Kirlia going up against an opponent much bigger than her, a stone head with stubby arms and legs named Nosepass. Despite him being slow, Kirlia found herself having a lot of trouble standing up to him due to his incredible body strength. There was even a moment where it seemed like Kirlia would lose for sure when Nosepass proceeded to deliver a body slam to her, crushing her under his weight.

But Kirlia had just enough strength left for her family's power to kick in, using said power to lift Nosepass high above her head and finish him off with a perfectly executed brainbuster. Machoke winced a bit at the sight of Nosepass chipping in various places as a result, but it was a still a very impressive victory.

Then Machoke saw the footage of Machamp going up against Riolu in the finals of the twenty-first Hero Olympics. It was an intense match, but at the end of it all, Machamp defeated Riolu. This was an especially crushing blow to the dog's family as he had a perfect winning streak up to that point, one that Machamp had robbed him of.

If Machoke's could pull that off, who was to say he could not? With that in mind, the boy gulped and ran over to the nearest sign-up station and flashed his ID card exclaiming, "Hello, sir, I would like to try out for the honour of representing Japan in the Hero Olympics!"

The man simply blinked and replied, "Oh, sorry, Mister Machoke, but you're too later. All the positions for the Tokyo tournament have been filled," Machoke asking, "What about the ones taking place in Osaka and Sapporo?" the man replying, "Those were filled up last week."

Machoke's eyes widened as now it seemed far too late. What could he possibly do? If only he had signed up sooner. If only Aipom had not waited so long to try and convince him.


	35. Chapter 35

Well, things had certainly taken a turn for worse. Just as Machoke had finally decided to represent Japan in the Hero Olympics, it was already too late. But he simply could not accept this. After all, he had a knack for turning the tides in his favour. But he had to face facts: this was not a match but rather an issue with the rules. This was something he as a hero could not overcome.

As such, he simply groaned while slowly walking toward his house with a look of disappointment on his face. It was not so much the rules he was disappointed with but rather himself. It was rare that he could accept responsibility for his own negative actions so quickly.

Reika noticed him headed home and asked, "Machoke, is something wrong?" the boy turning to face her and forcing a grin before fibbing, "Of course not! I've never felt better!" Reika shrugging and replying, "If you say so."

Soon enough, he walked to his house and thought, 'I just know what Aipom will say if I tell her the truth. She'll scold me for taking this long,' the boy then forcing a more natural look while adding in his mind, 'I'll just pretend I still have no interest in the Olympics. At the very least, I can watch the tournament tomorrow and see who will represent Japan instead of me.'

And with that, he managed to hide everything that had happened this day. Aipom was still convinced that her words had done nothing and she had given up as she knew it would be too late what with the day of the tournament being tomorrow.

However, while Machoke mentally beat himself up, Gallade and Gardevoir had spent their time in Paris training vigorously for the tournament. With Gallade's power now a permanent part of her, she was finally able to lift the really heavy weights. And to make things even better, their friends were helping them out.

Smeargle and Florges would spar with the two every now and then, though this was also for their own benefit as they were going to compete as well. Smeargle did not feel that he could truly get through the elimination tournament, but he was not the kind of surrender no matter how bad things looked, so he was going to try anyway.

Of course Clare and Henri had helped to support all four. They had provided training equipment for them and helped them perform situps and other exercises like that.

The one thing that was on everyone's mind, though, was how Gallade and Gardevoir would avoid facing each other in the elimination tournament as both wanted desperately to at least qualify together. Because of this, Gallade had specifically chosen to sign up for the tournament in Bourges while Gardevoir was fighting in the Grenoble tournament.

Smeargle was also in the Grenoble tournament and felt rather nervous about the idea of fighting his own childhood friend but knew he would have to suck it up. Florges, on the other hand, had signed up for the tournament taking place in Paris meaning she would be the only one not to change locations.

Blaziken had been training extra hard on her old farm. However, irony seemed rather strange as only her father was around to help her out. Combusken had gone off on a business trip and for whatever reason, Blaziken's father refused to reveal what that reason was. The chicken simply shrugged it off and decided that worrying about this would only hinder her training. Needless to say, she was ready.

And this was going on with many of the others as well. Throh and Sawk were both competing in the Osaka tournament, meaning both would have to fight each other at some point.

As for Scyther and her friends, Scyther was fighting in the Berlin tournament. All the while, Heracross would be competing in Elgin while Lopunny was ready for the tournament in Cairo. Talonflame was of course not competing as he was still in prison, and even if he was not, he still would not have been interested.

Scrafty had returned to his home country of Poland to compete in Warsaw while Bisharp was partaking in the Manchester tournament. Lucario was of course competing in his hometown of London. He simply felt it was right.

Tyrogue and his siblings had returned to China to compete in their own tournaments, though the big challenge was making sure they would all make it. Of course, in the end that would be impossible as there were four of them and only three tournaments. As such, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan decided they would much rather face each-other in the tournament than the other two. As such, the two had signed up the Beijing tournament.

Tyrogue decided to compete in Hong Kong while Hitmontop was going to fight in Yinchuan. The two felt very confident that they would make it, especially after all the training they had done to ready themselves.

And finally there was Dodrio, who had of course returned to their home country of Australia. They were to compete in Melbourne for the right to qualify.

Needless to say, everyone was truly ready for the elimination tournaments except for Machoke. He just hoped that all of his friends would at least make it. There was no way he would.

And as such, Machoke had gone to a local fighting arena the following day to check out the first round. Aipom had gotten front row seats as she said, "I'm glad you at least decided to watch the tournament," Machoke folding his arms and trying to hide his annoyance as he smiled and said, "Hey, as long as it's not me in the ring, right?"

Of course, Reika and her friends were also there as Tsuya sighed, "I wish I could go to France and watch Gallade instead," Reika remarking, "I know none of our friends are competing in this one, but you know how much a flight to France costs."

Strangely enough, the judge for the Tokyo tournament was Beedrill. Of all the tournaments for him to judge, this just happened to be the one he had chosen to partake in.

Actually, this was not his choice. Since he was new to being chairman, he had turned to Weedle for help and as such, Weedle had made this suggestion, though he had mainly done it to rub the fact that Machoke would never make it to the Olympics in the boy's face. This was made possible by the fact that Beedrill had agreed to let his father accompany him throughout the tournament and guide him through the rules and regulations and what sort of judgement to make under the right circumstances.

"Welcome, one and all, to the first round of the Tokyo elimination tournament!" Beedrill announced as everyone clapped, the wasp adding, "I am your host, Beedrill, the new chairman of Hero Planet," Weedle nodding his head and patting his son on the shoulder with his tail saying, "Good job, my boy. Keep it up."

While Beedrill continued his speech, Weedle looked around and noticed Machoke in the audience. Sure, he was forcing a smile, but the caterpillar could tell he was feeling extremely negative right now. While he may have been grateful for the way Machoke defeated Talonflame, he still considered his family an embarrassment, so the fact that the boy was not competing made him extremely happy.

"Announcing this match will be none other than Nori," Beedrill stated as the woman entered the announcer's booth and bowed her head saying, "Thank you," before exclaiming, "And now to introduce the fighters for the first round!"

The crowd got ready as Nori exclaimed, "In the red corner, originally from Spain but having recently become an official Japanese citizen, weighing at twenty-one-and-a-half kilograms, Hawlucha!"

The audience when wild as a humanoid parrot performed a series of flips toward the ring, propelling himself high above the floor before landing firmly against the mat, letting out a big laugh. This was a rather odd-looking parrot as his head actually looked more like a lucha libre mask, what with his eyes being pitch black. He had big green wings that looked more like a cape on the backsides of his arms and small clawed hands. His chest feathers were covered in red feathers while his entire lower body was white save for his small yellow feet. His face had green feathers with an orange stripe going across the middle. His beak was small was red, but his actual mouth was located underneath it, attached to a white patch under said beak. He also had two orange tassel-like appendages coming out of the back of his head.

Nori was then about to announce the next fighter when suddenly, a staff member ran into the area and handed her a letter, her eyes going wide as she exclaimed, "Everyone, we have bad news!"

"What would that be?" Beedrill asked, Nori replying, "Well, according to this letter, Hawlucha's opponent, Venomoth, was unable to get here," Weedle remarking, "What is the meaning of this!?" Nori replying, "Well, there was a thunderstorm last night and Venomoth was out getting last-minute training in, and this included her flight. And while she was practising, a bolt of lightning came down and struck her, so now she's in the hospital recovering and won't be able to make it."

The audience looked beyond disappointed as Aipom blinked, uttering, "Wow, that's really bad luck," Reika retorting, "Bad luck? A result of stupidity is more like it! Who flies during a thunderstorm!?" Cici whimpering, "I just hope she's okay."

"Wow, that is certainly bad news," Beedrill replied before adding, "Well, then, the event must to on, right!? If there are any heroes in the audience right now who have not signed up, you can officially take Venomoth's place in the elimination tournament and face Hawlucha right now!"

Weedle's eyes widened as Machoke sprang up out of his seat, exclaiming, "ME!" Aipom and the others staring at him in absolute shock, the boy running toward the ring and shouting, "I'll do it! I'll fight Hawlucha and compete for the right to represent Japan!"

Weedle was shaking his head at his son as Beedrill did not turn to see this and said, "Oh, hi Machoke," the boy freaking out when he suddenly remembered who the host was, the wasp adding, "I am so glad you've decided to compete after all, even if it is a little too late. I was hoping to see you in the Olympics."

"Uh... why?" Machoke asked as the wasp replied, "Well, I would like to personally thank you," all going silent as Weedle was slamming his head against the desk in front of the two, his son adding, "You're part of the reason I discovered my father. If you hadn't defeated me and had me sent to prison, I don't think this ever would have happened," light tears coming from his eyes as Hawlucha laughed, exclaiming, "That is muy bueno right there! Truly a touching moment!"

Machoke blinked and said, "Wow, you really have changed now," a big grin on his face as Weedle cut in, barking, "No, son! You didn't run this decision by me first! Personally, I don't approve of this official replacement idea of yours!"

Beedrill turned and blinked, asking, "What's wrong with it?" Weedle sighing, "If we implement a rule like this, everyone can just take advantage of a mishap and take the place of another hero," all going silent as Machoke sighed, "How many other heroes are here in this area right now?"

The wasp, however, did not seem to think this way as he replied, "Well, if my dad doesn't approve, then I'm afraid Machoke can't take Venomoth's place," the audience starting a huge uproar as one hurled an empty pop can into Weedle's forehead, the caterpillar barking, "WHO DID THAT!?" more following.

With that, the entire audience started to chant, "LET HIM FIGHT! LET HIM FIGHT!" Aipom's eyes sparkling as she smiled at the display, Reika and her friends joining in, even Cici looking legitimately furious in response to Weedle's declaration.

"Well, Dad, they seem to really want this," Beedrill stated as Hawlucha folded his arms with a smile, saying, "Si, we should give him a chance. After all, I would feel honoured to face the son of the great Machamp!"

"ALRIGHT, FINE!" Weedle snapped, everyone calming down as Beedrill nodded and stated, "Well, folks, it seems Machoke can legally replace Venomoth now," the audience going wild as Reika took a deep breath, sighing, "That boy has the strangest luck on his side."

Aipom had said nothing, though. She was absolutely speechless. Had Machoke been hiding a desire to enter the tournament this whole time? Well, of course he had, but no one besides Machoke had really been aware of this fact.

While Nori, as an announcer, was supposed to be neutral when it came to matches, even she was beyond happy to see him be accepted as the replacement fighter. While she never showed it, she had secretly become a die-hard fan of his from watching his matches over the past. At the very least, his fights were always interesting.

"By the way, Machoke," Beedrill stated, "you'll need to work on an entrance too, so I'll give you five minutes to prepare one," Weedle shaking his head while his son failed to notice this. It was bad enough Machoke had been allowed to participate but now he was given a chance to come up with one of his embarrassing entrances.

Even Aipom felt a tad against this idea but said nothing. She was just thrilled to see the boy taking this so seriously even if he had been accepted into the tournament because of really convenient happenstance.

Hawlucha patiently waited for the next five minutes, Aipom waiting by the side of the ring as she had been given permission to give him advice, Machoke getting himself ready. Time was soon up as Nori got the signal to announce his entrance, the woman nodding and exclaiming, "And in the blue corner, hailing from Hero Planet but having become an official Japanese citizen, weighing at seventy kilograms and having defeated many powerful opponents, Machoke!"

The crowd stared silently as Machoke rode toward the ring on a tiny unicycle, no one ever understanding where he was going with this as the boy smirked, thinking, 'When I leap off of this, I'm going to my most grand entrance ever," only for his weight to eventually crush the transportation device, all going silent.

"What exactly were you trying to do?" Aipom asked as Machoke laughed nervously, replying, "Sorry, I didn't have as much time as I normally do, so I did the best with what I had," Hawlucha laughing and exclaiming, "Oh, you are a funny man, Machoke!" the boy's eyes sparkling as he squealed, "Did you hear that, Aipom!? He called me a MAN!" the monkey face-palming.

"Oh god, he's not taking this seriously at all," Reika groaned, Tsuya asking, "What do you see in him?" Reika retorting, "I have no feelings for him whatsoever!"

Her eyes then widened when Machoke climbed into the ring and turned to her, exclaiming, "OH, REIKA, LOOK! I'M IN THE RING RIGHT NOW!" the boy then blowing her kisses as the girl ducked under them, all of the kisses running into a big man sitting behind her, the man snarling in irritation.

"Sorry, sir," Reika uttered with a nervous grin, Cici and Tsuya simply shaking their heads. She was definitely hiding her true feelings and Machoke could feel it too.

Weedle let out a sigh and thought, 'Well, it should be fine. Hawlucha should be more than enough of a match for Machoke. After all, the whole reason he's in the Tokyo tournament instead of one of the Spanish ones is because of me.'

With all said and done, Machoke and Hawlucha waited on their own sides of the ring as the excitement in the audience rose. Sure, this may not have been a match in the Olympics themselves, but it was still a big deal.

With that, Nori rang the bell as Machoke immediately sprinted toward Hawlucha. The boy was not going to hesitate for a second. He was going to blast his way through the tournament and make his way into the Olympics.

Hawlucha readied himself to counter only for Machoke to swerve to the right, the crowd cheering as Aipom thought, 'Good, he's already using his brain,' but just as Machoke was about ready to strike the parrot, it seemed Hawlucha had seen this coming as he threw his arm in front of his side, having his feathers block a roundhouse kick.

Machoke's eyes widened as Hawlucha proceeded to grab hold of his ankle, turning it sideways as the boy fell on his side. Machoke attempted to grab his ankles only for the bird to leap high into the air before sending his feet hard into the boy's cheek.

Everyone stared in shock as just from these two moves, Machoke already had blood coming from his nostrils. The match had just barely started and Hawlucha had already drawn blood. This was not a good sign.

However, Machoke simply ignored this and spat, "Alright, that was a lucky shot!" the boy quickly getting up and attempting to grab Hawlucha. However, the bird seemed more than ready for this as he simply grabbed the boy's wrists, saying, "Senor Machoke, you are a very strong fighter, but I have been preparing for opponents like you for a long time even before I knew I would have a chance to face you!"

Machoke's eyes widened as the parrot proceeded to ram his beak hard into the boy's face, once again drawing blood as the boy released his hold. Hawlucha then proceeded to flip back onto the turnbuckle, exclaiming, "I know it is a lot to expect when going up against one of your stature, but you will be the first stepping stone I cross toward becoming champion!"

"Was that supposed to sound cool?" Reika asked, Tsuya replying, "That's what that was? I didn't even get it," but this hardly mattered as Hawlucha leapt off of the turnbuckle, flying toward Machoke with his arms spread out.

Machoke stared at this with shock as Hawlucha shouted, "FLYING PRESS!" slamming his belly hard into the boy's chest, all going silent as Machoke coughed up quite a bit of blood. How could such a simple-looking attack be so powerful? This was not even a new technique. This was something lots of wrestlers could use and yet Hawlucha's harnessed the strength of an advanced slam technique.

Whatever the reason, this was certainly enough to knock Machoke onto his back as the audience simply started cheering wildly for Hawlucha. Sure, this was their first time seeing him in action, but they had seen Machoke in combat many times and knew that knocking him down this easily was no small feat.

"Oh my god," Aipom uttered, her eyes wide with shock as Nori stated, "Who could have ever guessed a flying press could deal so much damage? It seems using one of the oldest techniques in the book, Hawlucha has already managed to knock Machoke on his back, and it doesn't look like he'll be getting up anytime soon either."

Cici whimpered while Reika groaned, "Oh my god, you can't be serious," Tsuya simply staring and asking, "Is it really over already?"

Hawlucha rose his hands in the air exclaiming, "MUCHOS GRACIAS, SENORS AND SENORITAS! I LOVE YOU ALL!" Beedrill staring and saying, "Wow, that Hawlucha guy is really something," Weedle nodding and replying, "He sure is, son."

'Of course he is,' Weedle thought with a fiendish look in his eyes, 'I had a feeling Machoke would find some way or another to weasel his way into the tournament. His family has a knack for pulling off things like this. That's why I searched hard for someone who could defeat him under such circumstances, and that was when I discovered Hawlucha. While Machoke is definitely better when it comes to physical strength, Hawlucha has something that kid lacks, and that's a fighting spirit outmatched by many.'

While Hawlucha continued to bask in the cheers, one member of the crowd got up and exclaimed, "GOOD JOB, HERMANO!" Hawlucha waving and saying, "I'm living the dream, Isabel!" Reika staring at this and saying, "Wow, his sister came all the way here to watch him fight."

However, all went silent when Hawlucha could hear coughing behind him, the parrot turning and noticing Machoke slowly rise to his feet. The boy took a deep breath and spat a bit of blood out of his mouth stating, "Hey, this match is far from over. Don't celebrate just yet."


	36. Chapter 36

All was silent through the area as Machoke had gotten up despite the horrible beating he had taken in so quickly in the match. Sure, he was already bleeding, but there was no way he was going to let himself be beaten so easily, especially when he had faced stronger opponents before.

Aipom let out a sigh of relief and said, "I was really worried," Hawlucha's sister barking, "You should have stayed down, Machoke! You have only seen a fraction of what my hermano can do!" Machoke blinking and asking, "Is that your sister?"

Hawlucha nodded and replied, "She took the same plane as me so she could support me," before adding, "My baby sister, Lea, stayed behind to take care of my sick madre," all going silent as he added, "Machoke, I have lots of respect for you as a fighter, but mark my words when I say I'm not going to let you win. I need to work my way to the top for my family's sake!"

The boy's eyes widened as Aipom bit her lip, not sure what to say to this. Hawlucha actually had a good reason to be fighting in this tournament whereas Machoke had simply volunteered because he wanted to. And while Machoke may have been childish and even stupid at times, he did have a good heart and could sympathize with someone with good intentions.

Weedle all the while was smirking while thinking, 'Excellent. Now that he knows the truth, he likely won't even try to fight back,' until Reika spat, "MACHOKE, DON'T LET THIS GET TO YOU! EVERYONE HAS A REASON FOR ENTERING THE OLYMPICS! YOU GOT A LUCKY BREAK! ARE YOU GOING TO WASTE IT!?"

Machoke's eyes widened as he sported a serious look, gulping and saying, "I don't feel too good about doing this, but I'm not going to sit around and let you wipe the floor with me!" the boy rushing toward the parrot who simply held his feathers in front of his face asking, "Your attempts to hit me before have all failed. What makes you think this will work?"

Unfortunately for Hawlucha, Machoke certainly remembered this and had come up with a new strategy as he directed a low kick into the parrot's ankle, Hawlucha's eyes widening as he knelt down. His feathers may have been strong, but they were only able to protect his upper body thus leaving his legs defenceless.

However, just as it looked like Machoke had finally gotten the upper hand, Hawlucha ignored the pain and stated, "That's not good enough to take me down, mi amigo," the parrot swinging his arm out and striking Machoke in the side of the face. Before the boy could even respond, Hawlucha proceeded to wrap his left around about the boy's right before running around the ring, carrying Machoke with him.

The boy got dizzy from all the spinning as Hawlucha smirked, flinging him hard into the turnbuckle while the crowd went wild for him. In such a short amount of time, he was already becoming popular with the crowd as Weedle had a big smile on his face.

"That motivation, that drive," Beedrill said, "It's so inspiring. It makes me wanna go out and fight for someone," Weedle nodding while reminiscing about his meeting with Hawlucha.

When he discovered the parrot, he noticed him working very hard to support his family. He worked two jobs, one at a construction site and the other at a track for marathon runners, so he had a lot of strength and speed training from his jobs. But what could possibly motivate him to join the Olympics?

As it just so happened, his mother was sick in bed and his family was not even close to being able to afford an operation for her. Seeing how desperate he was, Weedle came to him with his condolences and suggested he join the Hero Olympics, telling the parrot of the popularity and wealth he would likely get from winning the championship belt.

Hawlucha had never considered it. He was shocked when he found out that he could possibly save his mother's life by winning the Hero Olympics. However, it was too late as the Spanish tournaments had already been filled, so Weedle then told him the one place that still had an open spot was Tokyo, suggesting that Hawlucha legally become a Japanese citizen so he could compete.

Of course, this was a lie because plenty of tournaments still had open spots, but Hawlucha did not know of this. Even so, it took him a while to really agree to such a thing because changing nationalities to join a sporting event seemed extreme. But on the other hand, his mother needed the operation more than anything and as such, he reluctantly accepted.

As Machoke slowly recovered from the blow to his face, Hawlucha took a deep breath and folded his arms, saying, "I am terribly sorry, Machoke, but I have to win the Hero Olympics for the sake of my madre. Not even you will stand in my way!" Machoke about to try and fight back when suddenly a look of absolute terror formed on in his eyes.

Right now, he was not just seeing Hawlucha standing before him but also his siblings and his mother. It was like facing four opponents at once, and with Hawlucha's incredible strength displayed up to this point, Machoke may as well have been fighting his whole family rolled into one.

Aipom could feel this inside of him and even she did not know whether or not he could rob Hawlucha of something so noble. Even so, the monkey knew she had a job to do as she snapped, "Earth to Machoke!" the boy turning to her as she barked, "Come on, don't let him intimidate you! There's only one opponent standing in the ring right now, not four!"

"Yeah, one really amazing opponent who deserves to win," Machoke groaned as Hawlucha smiled, saying, "I must admit, you are a very kind man, Senor Machoke, but unfortunately, that kindness is going to get you in a lot of trouble," the parrot charging toward him once again as Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, FIGHT BACK!"

The boy nodded and dodged Hawlucha before kicking him in the ankle again. This time, though, he sent his foot into the back and applied more force thus causing the parrot to fall on his back. With that, the boy flipped him over and sat on him, lifting up his legs and bending them while tucking them under his arms, the crowd going wild while Hawlucha cried out in pain.

"Just as it seemed Machoke was going to submit to Hawlucha, he gets his head back in the game and catches him in a perfectly executed Boston crab!" Nori exclaimed, Aipom letting out a sigh of relief as Isabel spat, "Senor Machoke, you are wasting your time and energy! My hermano can easily escape from that!"

"Sorry, Isabel, but you overestimate me," Hawlucha groaned, gritting his teeth and adding, "Even I do not know how to get out of such a hold," all going silent as Beedrill said, "Leave it to Machoke to pull off a miracle, eh, Dad?" Weedle fuming while thinking, 'Are you seriously telling me this one move is going to get him to submit!?'

However, just as Hawlucha was about to give up for good, Isabel growled and snapped, "COME ON, HERMANO, REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE TO MADRE!" the parrot's eyes widening as his sister continued, "REMEMBER HOW MUCH YOU NEED TO WIN THIS! YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP BECAUSE OF ONE TECHNIQUE! YOU'RE HAWLUCHA! YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS!"

Hawlucha's eyes widened as he placed his hands firmly against the mat, everyone staring as Nori uttered, "In what I can only assume is an act of desperation, Hawlucha is attempting to get out of the hold," the parrot slowly pushing himself upward.

Machoke's eyes widened when he could actually feel his family members pulling on his arms and forcing him up as a means of loosening his hold on Hawlucha. And sure enough, Hawlucha had managed to push his lower body up so he was now performing a handstand, his back and legs no longer being bent as the crowd gasped.

"I can't believe it, but his tactic actually worked!" Nori exclaimed, "In a truly astounding way, Hawlucha has just forced his way out of a Boston crab!"

It certainly did not end there as Hawlucha took full advantage of the fact that Machoke was still holding his legs. The parrot flipped his body over and rammed his beak hard into the boy's forehead, causing him to lose his grip before wrapping grasping onto Machoke's arm and wrapping his legs around his neck, using his weight to force him on his back while holding him in a triangle choke.

Machoke's eyes were wide open as he cried out in pain, gasping for air while Aipom screeched, "MACHOKE, YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS! LIFT YOUR ARM UP AND SLAM HIS HEAD INTO THE MAT!"

However, the boy shockingly refused to listen to the monkey. Was it pride getting in the way? No, that could not be for Machoke had learned long ago that Aipom's advice was worth following. No, he had another reason.

This very reason was made clear when he wheezed, "Hawlucha deserves to win! He has a good reason to be fighting in this tournament! I can't stand up to his entire family!" Reika whimpering, "Poor guy. Hawlucha and his sister have made rendered him useless," Cici uttering, "I'm not even sure who I want to see win this match in all honesty."

Hawlucha smiled and said, "It is good to see you at least have enough decency to see the truth. You simply joined this tournament for the heck of it, but I am fighting for my family. You cannot defeat spirit like that!" Machoke feeling his sister actually applying extra pressure to his arm and neck even though she was still in the audience.

After a while, Machoke looked about ready to pass out as Hawlucha released his hold on the boy, leaping up onto the turnbuckle and spreading his arms out saying, "Well, I will commend you for at least putting up a decent effort, but alas, this match must come to an end!"

With that, the parrot leapt off of the turnbuckle and spat, "FLYING PRESS!" once again slamming his body hard into Machoke's chest, the boy now out cold as all went silent, Nori exclaiming, "And once again, Hawlucha performs an incredible feat by using his super powered flying press!"

"Oh, it's nothing special, really," Hawlucha explained with a shrug, "All I do is use my feathers to double the impact," the crowd cheering for him.

Aipom bit her lip, not even sure how to respond as Weedle nodded as Beedrill, the wasp starting to count to ten, Reika getting up and barking, "MACHOKE, GET UP!" everyone staring as she added, "Look, I see why you'd feel bad about defeating Hawlucha! Yes, he's fighting for his family and that is a very good reason to fight, but Machoke, you have people who want to see you win as well!"

Isabel stared in interest as the girl added, "First, you got me and my friends! We are all supporting you and want to see you make it to the top!" Machoke's fingers twitching as she added, "Aipom also wants to see you win, so that's already one more supporter than Hawlucha has!" the parrot's eyes widening as he had to admit that was a good point.

"And what would your father say if he saw you lose the elimination round and not even make it to the Olympics themselves!?" Reika added, "Do you think he'd be happy to see you disgrace the family name like that!? You have a chance to restore that glory!"

Despite this speech certainly being more than ten seconds, Beedrill had actually stopped counting after the first few sentences, Weedle trying desperately to remind his son to keep it up. He remembered how many times Machoke had gotten up because of the bell ringing being delayed and did not wish for that to happen right now.

Reika then added, "My mom also wants to see you win, and you can't forget all of your friends! Gardevoir, Gallade, Blaziken, I'm sure all three would love to compete in the Olympics with you! Are you going to let them down too!?"

With that, Machoke slowly rose to his feet as the entire area went silent, the boy coughing up blood and taking a deep breath, saying, "You're right, Reika," the girl giving him a warm smile as he added, "It's true that Hawlucha has his family to back him up, but I have even more people out there who love and support me."

Hawlucha went wide-eyed as he suddenly saw the spirits of all of Machoke's friends surrounding him, the boy adding, "I've also influenced at least a couple of villains and made them good, so they would feel horrible if I lost today, and that would include Beedrill, am I right?" the wasp blinking and nodding his head, replying, "Actually, yeah, I would have been really disappointed to see you lose the first round," Weedle remarking, "Son, you're supposed to be neutral!"

"When I became a hero, I had no intention of doing so much of the work," Machoke stated, "I admit it, I was scared of this job, but ever since I defeated Rotom, I've taken my work very seriously! I fight not for myself but for the sake of everyone on this planet! That is why I will never back down no matter what, even if I'm fighting a fellow hero! You have a good reason, but I have the burden of every citizen in Tokyo on my shoulders and beyond those limits! I can't lose!"

Hawlucha's fear then turned to anger as he spat, "NO! I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS! YOU'RE JUST SPOUTING NONSENSE!" the parrot once again leaping onto the turnbuckle and leaping off before shouting, "FLYING PRESS!"

However, Machoke was actually prepared this time as he ran toward the ropes and propelled himself off of them. After that, he tucked himself into a ball and rolled right into Hawlucha's chest. Everyone stared, wondering just how this would turn out when shockingly enough, Machoke had managed to overpower the attack, Hawlucha's eyes widening as his chest was no longer puffed up.

With that, Machoke retracted into his normal state and used his arms and legs to lock Hawlucha's hands and feet in place. He then started to spin both his and his opponent's bodies around, forming a big wheel and heading toward the mat, slamming Hawlucha's belly hard against the mat while shouting, "SUNSET SLAM!" Hawlucha crying out in pain as Machoke placed his hand against his head, slamming his face into the canvas.

All went silent as Beedrill counted up to ten before nodding at Nori, the woman ringing the bell and exclaiming, "AND OUR WINNER IS MACHOKE!" the crowd going wild as Aipom breathed a sigh of relief, Reika letting down a light tear, Weedle all the while trying his hardest to hide his frustration with this result.

However, Machoke's joy soon left him as he turned and looked down at Hawlucha, asking, "Are you okay?" the parrot slowly opening his eyes with a smirk, Isabel letting out a sigh of relief as he said, "Increible! You're the real deal!" the parrot laughing and adding, "You truly deserve your reputation, mi amigo! I've never faced anyone quite like you!"

Machoke then let out a sigh and replied, "Thanks, but I still feel kind of bad," helping the parrot up as Hawlucha shook his head and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You have nothing to be ashamed of! You were absolutely amazing! Now go on and win the Olympics! Don't you dare let my loss be in vein!" the crowd going wild as Aipom smiled.

At that exact moment, a commercial sponsor walked toward the ring and said, "Excuse me, Senor Hawlucha, I represent the bread factory here and I was wondering if you'd like to sponsor us. You almost defeated Machoke! That's certainly worth something!" Machoke thinking, 'And me defeating Talonflame means nothing?' Hawlucha letting down tears and smiling bright, sniffing, "It would seem all hope is not lost!"

Weedle then took a deep breath and said, "Well, congratulations, Machoke, but don't think you've qualified just yet. You still have to win two more rounds," Machoke letting out a sigh and groaning, "I'd completely forgotten about that," while a staff member was whispering something in the side of Beedrill's head.

"Hold that thought, Dad," Beedrill stated, "I just received word that all the other participants in the Tokyo tournament couldn't make it!" Weedle's eyes widening as he remarked, "What!?" Beedrill nodding and replying, "See, they all took the same plane here and it crashed. Luckily, they prevented the passengers from getting killed, but they spent too long keeping them safe and knew there was no way to make it here on time," Weedle narrowing his eyelids and remarking, "You have gotta be kidding me."

Beedrill shook his head as Weedle remarked, "So all six of the other participants could not make it because of a plane crash!" Beedrill stating, "Well, Venomoth was struck down by lightning," the caterpillar trying to hide his irritation.

"Wait, so let me get this straight," Machoke uttered, "Are you telling me I have no other opponents to face in this tournament?" Beedrill nodding as he added, "So that means I win by default?" Beedrill nodding again as Weedle grumbled curses under his breath.

With that, a wide grin crossed the boy's face as he exclaimed, "AW YEAH!" raising his hands in the air and chanting, "I'M NUMBER ONE! I'M GONNA REPRESENT JAPAN IN THE HERO OLYMPICS! I ROCK!" the crowd going wild as Reika and Aipom face-palmed, groaning, "Don't be too humble about it," with sarcasm in their voices.

Hawlucha simply gave him a grin as Isabel ran over to make sure he was really in good enough condition to move, the parrot nodding his head in reassurance. Because of his respect for the parrot, Machoke had chosen to apply a little bit less force into his Sunset Slam. He felt no need to hospitalize someone with a good heart.

Beedrill then noticed Weedle clutching onto a miniature gold trophy as the wasp asked, "Hey, Dad, can you hand that over? I need to present that to the champ," Weedle reluctantly handing it over, feeling a bit better that it was at least someone else handing Machoke the prize.

Still, it would have been unfair for him to horde it just because of his own personal issues anyway. The whole reason he had decided to give the winners of the elimination tournaments trophies was so that when all but one ended up losing in the Olympics, they would at least have something to take pride in. After all, winning a tournament, be it a small one or not, was nothing to scoff at.

Machamp had actually been watching this match on TV back on Hero Planet, a big grin on his face as he laughed, exclaiming, "Hey, honey, Machoke won the Tokyo tournament!" Kala entering and beaming bright, exclaiming, "That's my boy!" before adding, "Now that that's over, you have no excuse to get out of your chores," Machamp sighing, "Yes, dear."

And that was that. While fate had certainly been kind to Machoke, it was his skills and spirit that ultimately earned him the right to represent Japan. But even so, this was only the beginning as his opponents in the Olympics were sure to be a lot tougher than Hawlucha was. But even so, he could not have been happier right now.


	37. Chapter 37

While Machoke had won his way to the Olympics by default, his friends were not so lucky as they did have to go through all three rounds. But this was okay because they had actually managed to do a good job, all of them making it to the final round. However, Smeargle had actually lost the first round of the Grenoble tournament and did not even get a chance to fight Gardevoir, something he was actually hoping he would get a chance to do.

Luckily, thanks to her new power and the fact that she could come up with good strategies on her own now, Gardevoir had made it to the finals and was currently facing off against a blue mouse with her ears and body perfectly round and a blue sphere on the end of her tail, which resembled a squiggly line. Her name was Marill.

Currently, Gardevoir was having a tough time as Marill was swinging her tail at her, using her sphere as a weapon while the girl simply held up her arms to blocking the onslaught. However, her arms were starting to bruise as a woman in the announcer's booth stated, "This is looking quite terrible for for Mademoiselle Gardevoir as Marill has her backed into a corner."

"Just give it up," Marill said with a smirk, "You may have defeated a few opponents in your time, but none of them were a match for me," Smeargle shouting, "DON'T LISTEN TO HER, MON AMIS!" Gardevoir turning toward the bleachers where the beagle had a front row seat, Smeargle adding, "I've seen your matches on TV and Marill is nothing compared to Monsieur Scrafty!" Gardevoir nodding and squeaking, "He's right!"

With that in mind, the girl saw an easy way to exploit Marill's attack and grabbed hold of her tail the next time it came around, the rodent's eyes widening as Gardevoir proceeded to hurl her into the turnbuckle. However, Marill ignored the pain and stood on her tail with a smirk on her face, using the sphere like a bouncing ball and propelling herself high above the mat and over Gardevoir's head.

"BOUNCING AQUA TAIL!" she spat, a blue aura surrounding her tail as she spun around, aiming the tail toward Gardevoir's head. However, the girl simply stepped to the side, easily avoiding the attack as Marill cried out in pain, the mouse having actually damaged her tail from the collision, said tail now turning red on the part that had hit the mat.

Gardevoir took full advantage of this as she grabbed Marill by her tail again, this time hurling her into the air and leaping up before grabbing onto her, flipping her upside-down and shouting, "METEOR BOMB!" sending the mouse's head hard into the mat with her upper body high enough not to make contact with the mat until the move was over.

Marill lay unconscious, her eyes swirling as the bell was rung, the announcer exclaiming, "And the champion of the Grenoble elimination tournament is Mademoiselle Gardevoir!" the crowd going wild as the girl waved her hands in the air, jumping up and down while squealing with excitement. This was one of the greatest moments of her life.

It seemed his last victory had given him a bit of an edge now as Gallade had managed to fight his way to the finals of the Bourges tournament. Currently he was fighting a pink squirrel with nostrils but no nose or even visible ears for that matter, curved yellow lines on his belly and a long tongue that he simply could not keep in his mouth. His name was Lickitung.

Gallade tried hitting him only for the squirrel to rub his slimy tongue along his skin every time, the boy wincing and groaning, "THAT'S DISGUSTING!" backing up as the squirrel smirked, saying, "You should not fear the tongue, boy. It'll make things much more difficult for you."

Gallade fumed and attempted to strike the squirrel only for the tongue to come at him again, the boy hesitating as Lickitung balled it up into a fist and sent it into the boy's face. After that, he wrapped his tongue around him shouting, "TONGUE BIND!" holding the boy in place and applying lots of pressure while the crowd stared in horror.

However, Gallade knew he had to win this match at all cost. If he failed, he could not compete in the Olympics and he had promised that he would qualify along with his sister, so he could not afford failure.

With that in mind, the boy took a deep breath and shifted his arms against the tongue, the squirrel's eyes widening as he released his hold on the boy, crying out in pain as Gallade had used his arm blades to put two light cuts on his tongue. With Lickitung now distracted, Gallade stood on his tip-toes and spun toward him shouting, "SWORDS DANCE!"

Lickitung cried out in agony as Gallade spun into him, scraping him with his arm blades multiple times. The crowd went wild as the squirrel passed out, the bell ringing as a female male announcer exclaimed, "And our champion of the Bourges elimination tournament is Monsieur Gallade!" Gallade taking a deep breath before holding out his hand.

Lickitung slowly regained consciousness when he noticed this, his eyes sparkling as Gallade said, "That was a great match. Maybe we can face each other again someday," Lickitung letting down a light tear and sniffing, "You're a really nice guy," the squirrel then licking the boy's face as he groaned, trying his best to ignore the moisture covering his face.

Blaziken was in the midst of a match against a white horse with a mane made entirely out of fire named Rapidash. Both were trading off punches right now as a male announcer exclaimed, "HOO-WHEE! This is truly something, folks! These two don't let up for a second!" the two leaping away from one-another after a few punches and breathing heavily.

"I gotta hand it to you, Blaziken," Rapidash said with a smirk, "You got some skills!" the chicken smirking and replying, "I'm flattered, but you're not my type," the horse shaking his head and saying, "You won't be joking when I'm finished!"

The horse then proceeded to bend down, his mane touching his horn as it burst into flame. After that, he proceeded to gallop toward Blaziken despite only having two feet to do it with and shouting, "HORN FROM HELL!"

Blaziken saw this coming a mile away as she waited for him to get close, dodging to the side when the moment came and wrapped her arms around his neck. Rapidash's eyes went wide as he tried to struggle free, Blaziken tightening her hold. Rapidash desperately resorted to ramming his chin against the mat in some vein attempt to shake himself loose but this only ended up causing him more pain.

With that, the chicken charged toward the turnbuckle, everyone cheering as the announcer exclaimed, "YEEHAW, LOOK AT BLAZIKEN TAKE FULL CONTROL OF THAT BUCKING BRONCO!" Rapidash's face soon rammed hard into the pole, Blaziken shifting his body around and getting onto his back.

Afterwards, the chicken proceeded to propel herself above his head shouting, "BLAZE KICK!" her feet catching flame as she rammed them into the back of his neck. The horse's eyes widened as he fell forward, his chin slamming against the mat as he was out cold, the bell ringing while the crowd cheered even louder, those with cowboy hats in the crowd waving them around above their heads while whistling in admiration.

"And on that note, we now have a new representative of America, the Texas tournament champion, Blaziken!" the announcer exclaimed as Blaziken rose one fist in the air, a big smirk on her face as she said, "Ain't nobody messing with the Texas Phoenix!"

In Paris, Florges was charging toward her opponent, a blue frog with a spherical body, a big swirl on his chest and a pair of white boxing gloves named Poliwhirl. He looked as if he had already taken in a pretty big beating earlier as Florges had pedals surrounding her body, the girl gracefully spinning on her tip-toes before sending her palm into his face saying, "Pedal blizzard."

The pedals around her body travelled toward her wrist, flying out and covering Poliwhirl in cuts as he groaned in pain, falling hard on his back. The bell was rung as Florges was declared the winner, the crowd going wild.

Meanwhile, in Berlin, Scyther was facing off against grey rhino named Rhydon. He had the insect's arms trapped in place while his horn spun like a drill, the rhino shouting, "HORN DRILL!"

But just as he was about to run it into her chest, Scizor, who was standing on the sidelines, snapped, "NOW, SCYTHER!" Scyther nodding and released her arm blades, Rhydon crying out in pain and releasing his hold on her, his hands now bleeding.

Scyther took full advantage of this by shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" sending each blade sideways, her right one going downward at a left angle and her left one going upward at a right angle. Two big gashes formed on Rhydon's chest as he cried out in pain, falling hard on his back while the bell was rung, Scyther's victory official while the crowd cheered.

In Elgin, Heracross was facing off against a slim terrier with brown fur on his body and most of his head. White fur went across the middle of his face, spreading out to form a moustache on the bottom while along his back was blue fur in the form of a cape. His name was Herdier.

Currently he was clinging to the beetle and biting into his shoulder only for Heracross to ignore the pain, placing a firm grip on the dog's arms and smirking. After that, he reeled his head back and rammed his horn hard into Herdier's face before leaning down and shouting, "HORN SHOVEL!" scooping the dog up with his horn and hurling him high above the ring.

After that, he leapt up above the dog's level and spat, "MEGAHORN!" his horn glowing as he sent it hard into the dog's belly. Herdier coughed up blood and fell hard against the mat, out cold as the bell was rung, the crowd going wild as Heracross' victory was announced.

In Cairo, Lopunny was facing off against a white cat with a red gemstone on her forehead named Persian. The cat was swiping her claws at Lopunny, hissing, "FURY SWIPES!" only for the rabbit to easily blocked them with her ears, ignoring the pain the claws were dealing to them.

When she saw an opening, she used her ears to hold herself up before sending her feet hard into the cat's gut, leaving her weak before before using her ears to send the cat high above the ring. After that, she bounced up to Persian's head before wrapping her ears around her ankles and flipping herself over to both their heads were facing the mat. Lopunny then proceeded to spin around shouting, "BUNNY TORNADO!" sending Persian's head hard into the canvas while the crowd went wild.

There was no doubt about it. Lopunny had won, the rabbit squealing excitedly and bouncing up and down with her hands in the air.

All the while, Scrafty had used his High Jump Kick to defeat his opponent, a blue seal with a big white moustache named Sealeo. Needless to say, he was happy to be representing Poland in the Olympics.

Bisharp was currently going up against a tall dragon with yellow scales that resembled armour covering all but his chest area and the fronts of his legs, which were black. He had had two big axe heads on the sides of his face and his name was Haxorus.

Both looked like they had been partaking in quite an intense match as they were breathing heavily, both covered in wounds. Bisharp took a deep breath and said, "Sir Haxorus, this next move shall decide whether or not the knight or the dragon shall walk out of this fight," Haxorus bowing his head and replying, "It has been quite the honour facing you, but I assure you, the dragon will win the day in this story."

With that, Haxorus charged toward the knight while shouting, "GUILLOTINE JAW!" his axe head aimed at her side as Bisharp spat, "WRIST SWORD!" racing toward the dragon with his wrist spike at the ready. Both went by one-another, their sharp body parts clashing as the two stopped in their tracks, Haxorus coughing up blood and passing out as his cheek was cut open by the attack, a small cut forming on Bisharp's shoulder.

The crowd went wild as the bell was rung, a female announcer exclaiming, "And it would seem that once again, the knight dominates the dragon! Though rather than winning a fair princess, this one has won the right to compete in the Hero Olympics!" Bisharp bowing his head to Haxorus and saying, "It was an honour to have you as my final opponent."

All the while, Lucario was facing a mole with tribal markings on the side of his white face. The rest of his body looked more like a costume made of black fur with red markings on it. Each of his arms had long blade-like claws with the middle ones having saw-like formations on top. He had a horn similar in design but much bigger protruding from his forehead. His name was Excadrill.

It looked like Lucario was actually having quite a bit of trouble taking this guy as he was repeatedly striking the dog with his claws. When Lucario looked very weak, the mole proceeded to run backwards toward the ropes shouting, "Well, Lucario, you fought the good fight, but you're going to lose today!" the mole then propelling himself off of the ropes and spinning toward him with his claws pointed out, his body looking more like a drill as he exclaimed, "DRILL RUN!"

However, when the horn and claws hit Lucario hard, the dog ignored the pain and wrapped his arms around the mole. Sure, blood was now flying from them but the dog continued to ignore the pain as Excadrill eventually stopped spinning, his eyes going wide as Lucario flipped him over and ramming his skull hard into the mat.

After that, the dog proceeded to lift Excadrill up, pressing his back up against his spike and leaning backward, locking the mole's arms in place and shouting, "LONDON BRIDGE!" the mole crying out in pain as he spat, "ALRIGHT, I GIVE UP!"

The dog took a deep breath and released his hold on Excadrill, the bell ringing while the crowd cheered, Lucario smirking and raising his arm in the air. Sure, he was bleeding all over thanks to Excadrill's brutal attacks, but he refused to let this get him down.

Hitmontop had managed to defeat a red orangutan with eyebrows like flames aptly named Darmanitan with her Triple Kick, though judging by the number of wounds on her, it looked like a very close shave. Even so, that did not stop her from raising her arms in triumph, a big open-mouth smile on her face as she just knew the winners of each other tournament would be one of her siblings.

And as it turned out, both Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan had made it to the finals, Hitmonchan's Mach Punch clashing against Hitmonlee's Mega Kick. After a lot of effort, Hitmonchan had managed to overpower her brother and send him flying into the turnbuckle, the boy out for ten seconds exactly as the bell rang.

Hitmonchan took a deep breath and walked over to Hitmonlee, kneeling down and asking, "You okay?" the boy nodding and replying, "Yeah, I'll be fine," the two shaking hands as the boy added, "Kick ass in the Olympics for me, alright?" the sister nodding her head as the crowd cheered.

All the while, the announcer let down tears, sniffing, "That is just so touching! Even after fighting in the tournament finals, they're love for each other can never fade! That is the power of family, folks!" the man releasing waterfalls from his eyes.

And just as Hitmontop had expected, Tyrogue managed to defeat his opponent as well. This fighter was and eel with arms, legs and sharp jaws around her hose-like mouth named Elektross. Tyrogue had knocked her out with his Triple Fighting Style Barrage, which was a combination of his siblings' fighting styles.

When the bell rang and the crowd cheered, the boy took a deep breath and thought, 'Well, guys, I made it and I just know you did as well,' a confident smile on his face. And he would be even happier to know that Dodrio had defeated their opponent, a yellow gila monster with a black head named Heliolisk with their Fury Attack, all three heads letting out fierce battle cries while the crowd went wild.

But of course, one match just about everyone was hoping would happen was a match between Throh and Sawk in the Osaka tournament, and as fate would have it, both were going head-to-head in the finals. The two had been fighting for some time, neither letting up despite both of them having a bond stronger than that of other brothers in the world.

Sawk had sent two karate chops toward Throh's shoulders only for the boy to grab his wrists, twisting them as the blue fighter cried out in pain. After that, Throh proceeded to grab him by the shoulders and roll backward, planting his foot against Sawk's gut and kicking him off of him, the boy flying behind him.

However, just as Sawk's head was about to hit the mat, he stretched out his arms just in time for them to hit the canvas, allowing Sawk to propel himself upward and onto his feet. Clearly, both were giving it their all.

However, just as Sawk was about to prepare a retaliation, his eyes widened when he noticed Throh headed toward him. The boy simply dodged to the side only for the red fighter to grab him by his collar, lifting him up and slapping him hard against the mat with a chokeslam.

The crowd went wild as the announcer stated, "Wow! After a miraculous save, Sawk still ended up falling victim to his brother's powerful chokeslam! Let's see how he gets out of this!"

Throh lifted up Sawk and was just about to finish him off when Sawk smirked, saying, "Don't count me out just yet, brother," before sending a knee kick to his gut, Throh wincing and loosening his hold. With that, Sawk, proceeded to send an onslaught of palm punches to his face while shouting, "CLOSE COMBAT!"

After taking in a few hits to the face, Throh eventually saw through his pattern and grabbed his wrists and applying a large amount of force to lift him up, swinging him around while shouting, "STORM THROW!" soon tossing the now dizzy blue fighter sideways, slamming him head-first into the canvas as he skipped into the turnbuckle.

The crowd cheered wildly for Throh as he took a deep breath, saying, "Sorry, Sawk, but I simply did what needed to be done," his eyes wide with shock when Sawk managed to recover, shaking the pain off of his head and saying, "Again, don't me out, Throh."

With that, Sawk raced toward the red fighter who readied his hands for another counterattack. However, Sawk was ready this time as he swerved to the right, sending a two-handed karate chop into the boy's neck shouting, "BRICK BREAK!"

Throh's eyes went wide as he fell on his side, lying on the mat for ten seconds as the bell rang, the announcer exclaiming, "And the winner and champion of the Osaka tournament is Sawk!" the audience going wild as Sawk knelt down, helping his brother up as Throh took a deep breath, saying, "Well, I guess we know who the better brother is."

"Don't say that," Sawk remarked, shaking his head, "It was a very close match. I feel lucky to have beaten you with that," Throh chuckling as the two slapped their palms together, Throh saying, "Give them Hell, Sawk!" Sawk nodding his head with a confident smile on his face.

And soon enough, every tournament in the world had been completed and the participants had been chosen, three representing each country. This was certainly an exciting time for everyone and the world could not wait for the Olympics themselves to begin.

After all the competitors were confirmed, a broadcast was shown all across the world as Beedrill stated, "Well, this is it, folks! Our champions have finally been chosen as has a location for the Hero Olympics themselves! Now, for those unaware, the very first Hero Olympics were held in Tokyo, and let's just say there's a reason I chose to be the host of the Tokyo elimination tournament!"

Weedle nodded and stated, "That's right, it wasn't just because Tokyo is such a nice place but because we have decided to hold the Hero Olympics in that very city! Preparations will take a while to set up, so the competitors will all have two weeks to prepare themselves! Once again, planes, boats, buses, trains, any mode of transportation you choose has been reserved for the competitors! All you have to do is flash your ID and you get a free ride!"

Machoke heard this and grinned, exclaiming, "Sweet, I don't have to go anywhere!" Aipom nodding and replying, "I'm actually kind of surprised. Like he said, it's been a really long time since Tokyo was chosen as the location for the Olympics."

Even so, there was no doubt he would be ready for this, but while he felt ready for the Hero Olympics, the boy was also stoked to finally see his friends again. After all, they had been gone for quite a while and he had certainly missed them but he was certainly happy to have seen them win their matches on TV.


	38. Chapter 38

Two weeks had passed and it was finally time for the opening ceremony of the Hero Olympics, which of course was being held in the Tokyo Dome. The seats were filled as the people were all beyond excited. Reika, Cici, Tsuya and Keiko had booked themselves front row seats as they wanted to see the Japanese representatives as close up as possible.

"This is certainly exciting, isn't it?" Keiko asked with a big smile as Reika nodded, saying, "I can see why you were so into this stuff when you were young, Mom. I can't believe how big this sort of thing can be."

With that, Beedrill took the stand with Weedle once again by his side as he cleared his throat, exclaiming, "Welcome one and all to the opening ceremony of the twenty-third Hero Olympics!" the crowd going wild as he added, "In less than fifteen minutes, those who qualified for this event will be walking down the runway soon!"

At this moment, Machoke and Aipom had just arrived at the building as Machoke spat, "CRAP, WHY DID I HAVE TO SLEEP IN TODAY!?" Aipom groaning, "That's what I get for forgetting to set the alarm!"

Unfortunately, the two were still in their pyjamas as Aipom grumbled, "Great, everyone's gonna see me this way," a familiar voice entering the area and saying, "Hi there, guys."

Machoke turned and noticed Sawk standing there with a big smile on his face, the boy waving and saying, "Hey, Sawk, so you made it to the Olympics," Aipom nodding and sighing, "Sorry your brother couldn't join you," Sawk shaking his head and replying, "It's okay. We both knew what we were getting into. I'm just happy he was my final opponent."

"So you're the other Japanese participants," said an octopus standing before them with her tentacles by her side, the others staring as she added, "Name's Octillery. It's an honour to meet you two in person."

With that, the octopus held out three of her tentacles as Machoke, Sawk and Aipom shook them, Aipom uttering, "This is great and all, but we don't have a long time before we have to be on the runway," Machoke nodding and replying, "Worry, not, I came prepared," the boy removing his pyjamas only to find there was nothing underneath, the boy shouting, "OH NO, I FORGOT TO PUT MY SPECIAL OUTFIT ON LAST NIGHT!"

Aipom stared as he let down tears, sniffing, "I spent so long working on it! It was going to be great!" the monkey sighing, "As much as I hate to indulge your entrances, we certainly can't have you walking out there without your speedo at least," Sawk and Octillery both shielding their eyes, Octillery sneaking a quick peak.

However, Machoke then noticed a group of female dancers heading out from a change room, his eyes going wide as he uttered, "I am brilliant!" Aipom and Sawk staring at him with distraught looks while Octillery looked confused.

With that, fifteen minutes had passed as Beedrill exclaimed, "And now watch as those who qualified come down the runway! Starting us off are the representatives of France!"

The crowd cheered as Gallade, Gardevoir and Florges entered the area with a young woman holding the flag of France in her hand. Every country had a flag girl to help carry the banner, so to speak. Gardevoir had a big smile on her face as she waved to the cheering crowd while Gallade had a more dignified look, Tsuya waving excitedly at him. Of course Florges was elegant as always, though a part of her really wanted to sing for the fans right now.

"Wow, Gardevoir looks so enthusiastic," Reika stated as Tsuya blew Gallade a kiss, exclaiming, "HEY, GALLADE, IT'S ME! LOOK AT ME!" Gallade turning to face her as her cheeks turned red before she squealed excitedly, her hands up against her cheeks.

Beedrill continued to announce the countries as Ireland was next followed by Africa and then Poland. Scrafty was happily waving to the crowd along with a ferret named Furret and an orange pig named Pignite.

Next up was Russia, with Ursaring being one of its representatives, Brazil following close behind. Next up were the Peruvian participants followed Scotland, Heracross waving happily to the crowd while accompanied by a beaver named Bibarel and a dinosaur-like dragon named Bagon.

Next up was India, Lopunny waving ecstatically while accompanied by a stag beetle named Pinsir and a coffin with a face and shadowy arms named Cofagrigus. After that was Australia with Dodrio walking down the runway with a dinosaur with a pouch named Kangaskhan and an anteater named Heatmor.

When the German division came down, Scyther was joined by a metal ant named Durant and a yellow fox named Braixen. And soon enough, America entered and was represented by Blaziken, a lion named Pyroar and Clauncher.

And of course, more and more countries came, China soon entering while Hitmonlee waved at Hitmonchan, the girl waving at him while being joined by her other siblings, all three happy to be walking down the runway together. Behind them was England, Lucario and Bisharp walking tall and proud while a skunk named Skuntank joined them.

And soon, almost every country had entered, Beedrill announcing, "And now for the final country, Japan!" the crowd getting ready to cheer before breaking out into hysterics as not only was Machoke wearing a woman's dancing outfit while performing tip-toe steps with his arms spread out like a swan's wings but he had also convinced the others to play along.

Aipom was wearing a small tutu while strumming a harp, a look of pain on her face while Sawk was also dressed like a ballerina, sweat pouring down his face as he thought, 'Oh god, please don't let Throh see me,' turning toward the crowd and noticing his brother waving at him, shouting, "LOOKING GOOD!" Sawk's face turning the colour of his brother's. Octillery did not seem to mind this though as she danced gracefully while saying, "I feel like a super model," placing her tentacles against her cheeks, her eyes closed and a big smile on her hose-like mouth.

"Who else but Machoke?" Reika groaned, Keiko chuckling and saying, "His dad did some weird things back in the day, but he could never top this," Weedle all the while fuming while thinking, 'He just keeps finding new ways to embarrass Hero Planet.'

Hitmonchan simply stared at Sawk and groaned, "I can't believe I used to have the hots for that guy," Sawk hearing this and thinking, 'Okay, there is an upside to this,' Machoke suddenly whipping out his speedo and saying, "Well, that was fun," Aipom remarking, "YOU MEAN YOU HAD THOSE WITH YOU THIS WHOLE TIME!?"

"Well, yeah, why wouldn't I?" the boy asked, getting out of the dancing outfit and into his speedo fast enough for no one to see what was underneath as the monkey retorted, "Why did you have us wear these stupid outfits, then!?" Machoke laughing and replying, "Well, what kind of entrance would we have had if I simply came in my regular clothes?"

Keiko simply snickered as Reika asked, "And you say his father was very much like this?" the woman nodding as Sawk ripped off the ballet outfit he was wearing to reveal his karate gi underneath, the dancer he had borrowed it from shouting, "HEY, YOU'LL HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT!" Sawk groaning, "I just couldn't have my dignity today, could I?"

"I don't see what the big deal is," Octillery replied, posing like a supermodel and winking at the crowd, people shielding their eyes at the sight of this. Weedle simply shook his head and groaned, "They're not helping things."

Even so, Octillery eventually handed the dancing outfit back to the woman she had borrow it from along with Machoke, the boy bowing his head and saying, "Thank you for lending us the outfits," the woman smiling and saying, "No problem," before putting it back on only to notice Machoke's muscular body had stretched it out in size, the dancer sighing, "Now I just need to find a way to shrink this."

Aipom was about to get out of the tutu even though hers was actually given to her since there was no one in the group small enough to wear it when Keiko exclaimed, "YOU LOOK ADORABLE, AIPOM!" the monkey blinking, now wondering if she should take it off.

Either way, things had finally calmed down as Blaziken walked over to Machoke, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "When you told me you were participating, I had a little trouble believing it, but here you are," Gardevoir giving him a hug and squealing, "Now we all get to compete together! Yay!"

Gallade nodded as Machoke stared, asking, "Wait, you actually won three matches?" the boy smirking and replying, "Yeah, get used to it because I'm gonna be winning a lot more from now on!"

Hitmonchan suddenly ran over to the group, Hitmontop and Tyrogue slowly walking over to them as the boxer smiled at Gallade asking, "Hi, Gallade, how are you?" the boy blinking and replying, "Fine," Tsuya staring at this, wondering if this was going where she thought it was.

Machoke then noticed Lucario simply standing around with his arms folded. He seemed uninterested in talking to anyone until Clauncher ran over to him, saying, "Hey, Lucario!" the dog turning and blinking before replying, "Sup?" Machoke's eyes widening as Blaziken asked, "Did Lucario just say what I think he did?"

"Guess we're gonna be competing, eh?" Clauncher stated with a grin, "Don't expect me to go easy on you, buddy!" the dog smirking and remarking, "I'd be insulted if you did," Aipom saying, "Wow, he actually made a friend."

However, the friendly chatter would have to end as Beedrill stated, "Alright, everyone, since the audience came all the way here, it wouldn't be right to end everything after the opening ceremony! As such, we're going to take care of all the sporting events today! The remaining participants will face off in a fighting tournament starting next week!"

"Wait, so we don't get time to prepare ourselves?" Machoke asked when Weedle directed everyone's attention to a big screen, everyone staring and wondering exactly what kind of event they would start with.

After a while, a picture of three heroes, namely Graveler, a pile of sludge named Muk and Scizor appeared on screen with the words 'Extreme Rock, Paper, Scissors' written over it as everyone stared in silence. Blaziken tilted her head to the side, uttering, "This is a joke, right?"

Everyone else nodded, wondering if Beedrill and Weedle were off their rockers for choosing this as a sporting event until Weedle barked, "I'll have you all know that this is not a joke!" everyone staring as Reika asked, "It's not?" Beedrill shaking his head and replying, "Quite the opposite, this has been the first event of the Hero Olympics ever since the beginning. See, while skill, speed and strength are certainly the most important aspects of being a hero, luck does play a role, so it's not out of the question to base an event around that."

Most of the heroes nodded their heads in understanding, but Machoke and Blaziken both thought this was incredibly stupid. The Hero Olympics was supposed to be a measure of skill and yet they were starting with something humans did to solve disputes on a regular basis.

Either way, the event went by quickly as everyone simply turned to a random fighter nearby and started the game. Machoke, what with his incredible luck, naturally won this event with ease, the boy breathing a sigh of relief, and the same went for most of the others. Even Dodrio defeated their opponent by using their feet. Thankfully they did have more than enough toes to pull it off.

Unfortunately, there was the fact that half the heroes participating had lost, so the odds of everyone Machoke knew succeeding was not all that favourable. And it seemed one of his friends had lost as he heard sniffing from behind him, the boy turning to see Gallade on the ground and hugging his knees.

"I can't believe it..." the boy uttered, his eyes wide with absolute shock, "I lost!" Machoke laughing nervously, not knowing what to say as Gardevoir walked over and gave him a hug, saying, "It's okay, Gallade. You made it as far as the Olympics themselves. I think that's something to be proud of."

Gallade wiped a tear and nodded, a grin on his face as he replied, "I shouldn't be crying anyway! That's poor sportsmanship!" Hitmonchan walking over and saying, "Besides, everyone loses every now and then, right?"

"I'm guessing you lost, too?" Gallade asked as Hitmonchan laughed and remarked, "No way! My opponent got super nervous and used scissors!" a big grin on her face as Gallade looked down again, the boxer patting him on the shoulder saying, "It's okay, don't let it get you down."

However, Lucario noticed that Clauncher had not been so lucky. Due to her having claws, all she could use was scissors and this made her easy pickings. However, before the dog could try and console his friend, he noticed she was rather positive, the lobster letting out a laugh and exclaiming, "Oh well, it was just awesome getting this far!" shrugging her shoulders as Lucario smiled lightly. Leave it to Clauncher to be upbeat even after failing.

The other two to fail were Hitmontop and Heracross, both letting out disappointed sighs as Lopunny gave Heracross a sympathetic look, saying, "It's okay, you did your best," the beetle grinning and giving the rabbit thumbs up before exiting the area.

Hitmontop simply gave Tyrogue and Hitmonchan pats on the shoulder when Hitmonchan was done fawning over Gallade for a time being, the girl saying, "Do your best to make sure at least one of us makes it, eh, guys?" the two nodding and giving their sister a hug before she headed out of the area.

With that, everyone readied themselves for the next event as Beedrill stated, "Well, we're now down to half the contestants, so it's time for the next event!" the wasp then pointing toward the screen as everyone waited for a title to come up. Soon enough, a picture of a man grabbing a falling woman appeared on screen as the next title was 'Save the Damsel in Distress'.

"Wait, we have to do what!?" Machoke spat as Weedle explained, "It's quite simple. Your jobs as heroes is to protect the innocent, so we've based an event around that."

At that moment, part of the floor opened up as a giant dragon head statue appeared, a girl hanging from the top tooth by her collar. Everyone stared in absolute horror as the head was risen up high above the ground, the girl screaming in absolute panic. The worst part was that this was not even scripted or anything. This girl was in genuine peril.

As the audience and the heroes themselves were seriously questioning the government's judgement on this one, even Beedrill had to agree as he asked, "Don't you think this is going too far, Dad?" Weedle replying, "Don't worry, son, there's a safety mat in front of the statue," the caterpillar pointing at a big mat that had just been placed in that exact spot by the staff, asking, "See?"

"Oh, okay," the wasp replied, nodding his head, "I shouldn't have doubted someone as brilliant as you," Weedle replying, "That's fine, son. Your reaction shows that you care about the citizens and that makes me proud."

While the girl tried her best to stay calm, Weedle gave Beedrill a paper with the concept written on it as the wasp stated, "In this event, two heroes will go head-to-head and race to the finish while the damsel is dropped from the statue's tooth. Whoever catches the falling human first will advance to the next event. But if the damsel hit the ground, or in this case the safety mat, both heroes lose and will be eliminated from the Hero Olympics."

"Even with the mat, this still seems insane," Machoke muttered as Gardevoir nodded, saying, "I don't even care if I win or lose the race. I just hope whatever human they use for my race will be okay."

Beedrill called up the first two contestants, Dodrio and Furret. Before they could start, Beedrill stated, "One last thing before we begin. You can use any means necessary to ensure that you make it to the finish line first, including using your powers to slow down your opponent," Furret smirking at Dodrio as the middle head exclaimed, "SWEET! THIS'LL BE EASY!" the right head sighing, "We could just play fair anyway."

With that, a button was pressed as the statue vibrated, the girl's collar shaken off of the tooth as she started to fall, Dodrio and Furret taking off. Furret grinned before rolling up into a ball and shouting, "WEASEL BALL!" Dodrio's heads nodding at one-another before the kiwi picked up the pace, catching up with the ferret as the right head said, "I would have liked to play fair, but since you're resorting to cheap tactics-" the middle head barking, "DON'T WASTE TIME!" the right head rolling her eyes and shifting sideways while barking, "WRECKING BALL!"

With that, the head slammed hard into Furret's side as the ferret rolled out of the race area and into the wall, Dodrio taking full advantage of this and leaping onto the safety mat, allowing the girl to fall on their back. The crowd cheered as Beedrill announced the kiwi's victory, the girl hugging all three necks while kissing the middle head, feeling beyond grateful to have been saved.

And sure enough, more and more heroes came up, all of them feeling more confident about this. Not all the damsels were young girls or women either. Some of them were middle-aged businessmen, old people and bums who had snuck into the stadium to watch the Olympics. The only people not being used as damsels were children as even with the safety mat, Weedle did consider that too extreme.

And like with the previous event some of Machoke's friends had failed. Tyrogue ended up losing an elephant with armour going from his trunk to his back named Donphan, the elephant using a rolling technique of his own to outrun him. Same went for Florges who lost to a purple cat named Liepard, the cat scratching her side with her claws as a means of slowing her down.

Gardevoir whimpered when she saw this, Florges sauntering back and wincing in pain while the girl squeaked, "Are you okay?" the flower girl nodding and saying, "I'm fine."

Gardevoir was up next as her opponent was Cofagrigus, the coffin turning to her with a big grin and saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you," his face becoming extremely creepy while he wiggled his arms around in a menacing fashion.

But strangely enough, Gardevoir did not feel the least bit intimidated by this as she gave him a sweet smile, saying, "Nice to meet you too," the coffin blinking and shaking her hand, really hoping his scare tactics would have worked. Thankfully, Gardevoir had learned not to be intimidated by scary-looking people after meeting Kuro on her ride to Paris.

In fact, that very man was sitting in the crowd right now, holding up a little French flag and waving it with a light smile on his face, though he was not really saying anything. Gardevoir noticed this and flashed him a sweet smile.

"Wow, Gardevoir's so cool," Cici uttered, "I wish I could look at someone like Cofagrigus and not be scared," Reika patting her on the shoulder and replying, "It might happen someday."

With that, the race started up as Cofagrigus used his bottom hands to lift himself up, using them as feet to make his way toward the finish line. Unfortunately for him, Gardevoir was way too quick on her feet.

The coffin grimaced and thought, 'Alright, time to play dirty,' before sending one of his hands toward her spiked collar in an attempt to grab it. However, Gardevoir was moving way too fast, so his hand was unable to reach her as he ended up losing focus on his feet, losing his balance and falling flat on his face.

Needless to say, this was an easy win for Gardevoir as she caught a falling man in his forties, the man sighing with relief and saying, "Thanks, Gardevoir, you're amazing," the girl blushing and squeaking, "Thanks!"

The crowd cheered as she made her way back to her friends, Blaziken giving her a high five when suddenly, her name was announced. The chicken was more than ready before she heard Beedrill state that her opponent would be Scyther.

Both stared at one-another before slowly making their way to the starting point, Scyther saying, "Sorry to have to face you so early," Blaziken shrugging and replying, "We probably would have had to face each other eventually. May as well take care of it now, eh?"

Scyther nodded and held out her hand, saying, "Here's to a good, clean race without any dirty tactics," Blaziken nodding and shaking her hand.

"Blaziken is dead-set on winning this," Beedrill stated, "Her mother failed before making it to the tournament portion in the twenty-second Olympics, so this is a really big deal to her."

Their damsel was a woman in her late thirties, the statue vibrating as she was dropped, crying out in terror. Blaziken and Scyther took off as both seemed equal in speed. After all, both had trained really hard in that category and were going neck-and-neck. Blaziken would not let Scyther off so easy, even if she was a friend, so she picked up the pace a bit.

However, just as it looked like the chicken was likely to win, her eyes widened when she noticed a child in the front row walking along the railing, everyone in the area too distracted to notice this. Blaziken sighed and turned to Scyther, saying, "Promise me you'll make it to the tournament," before sprinting away from the runway. And this was certainly good timing as the kid had just lost his balance, his mother noticing this and crying out for help.

Everyone gasped as Aipom noticed this, thinking, 'So that's why she gave up,' Scyther catching the woman while Blaziken managed to catch the boy, Scyther then turning and noticing this, her eyes widening. She figured Blaziken had a good reason to give up a win like this, but she did not think it was this serious of a situation.

"Wow, Blaziken's awesome!" Machoke exclaimed, light tears in his eyes as the mother of the child sprinted from her seat and onto the field, Blaziken handing over the child. The woman cradled him and sniffed, "Thank you so much, Miss Blaziken! I won't take my eyes off of my little Muto again!"

"Don't mention it," Blaziken replied with a smirk, but deep down, she was hurting. She had just sacrificed a victory, which meant she had just suffered the same fate as her mother. Sure, it was for a good cause, but she still did not feel so good about giving up her spot like that.

Scyther saw the chicken slowly making her way to the exit, saying, "You did a great thing, Blaziken. You deserve this win more than I do," Blaziken letting out a sigh and saying nothing, the others watching as Gardevoir asked, "Do you think she's going to be okay?" Machoke and Aipom not so sure how to answer that.

However, while Blaziken was heading out of the area, she noticed another chicken standing there folding her arms. This one looked a lot closer to what an Earth chicken looked like only instead of a crest atop her head, she had three orange feathers. Her upper body consisted of yellow feathers while her lower body was made up of orange feathers. With three claws on each hand representing her fingers, this was Blaziken's mother, Combusken.

"Mother," Blaziken uttered, her eyes wide open as the older chicken took a deep breath, sporting a warm smile and saying, "I came here to see how you'd do in your first Hero Olympics."

"And I failed," Blaziken replied with a sigh, "You're probably ashamed of me, aren't you?" Combusken shaking her head and replying, "On the contrary, I'm mighty proud of you," Blaziken's eyes widening as her mother continued, "You want to know why I failed the twenty-second Hero Olympics during the elimination rounds?"

Blaziken listened closely as her mother added, "It was during an event in which I had to hurl to big rock as far as I could. I actually had just the right distance set up to earn me in a spot in the tournament portion when I detected a puppy walking right in front of where my stone was going to land. I immediately sprung into action and got there just in time to stop my stone from flattening the poor creature."

Blaziken simply could not believe what she had just heard as Combusken sighed, "I lost my chance at advancing, but I saved a life, and honestly, that meant more to me than winning the Hero Olympics ever would have," her daughter letting down tears and smiling, giving Combusken a hug.

Scrafty and Bisharp were facing off against each other soon, and while the two of them were friends, both had agreed not to hold back. Scrafty came very close to making it to the finish line by kicking himself off the ground repeatedly to increase speed.

However, Bisharp simply ended up being quicker as she caught a young girl just before she could hit the safety mat, the knight striking a cool pose and saying, "You are safe, my fair lady," the girl giggling and replying, "And I thought chivalry was dead," a seductive look in her eyes as Scrafty smirked, saying, "She's all yours, buddy," Bisharp's eyes widening.

While Bisharp was now fleeing for dear life from his new fangirl, Lucario was facing off against a bull named Tauros. Tauros was about to dominate when the dog leapt high into the air, planting his feet hard into the bull's skull and knocking him flat on his face, the dog easily claiming victory.

And finally, after all that, it was Machoke's turn as he took to the starting line, his opponent standing next to him. This creature was a round chipmunk just tall enough to reach the boy's thighs. He had green armour around his upper body, the tops of his arms and two long pointed ears with a red tip on the end of each one. His face was covered in light brown fur but the rest of him that could be seen outside of his armour had dark brown fur. His name was Quilladin.

"I gotta say, it's an honour to be facing you, Machoke," the chipmunk said with a smile as Machoke smiled and replied, "Thanks. It's nice to meet you too," Quilladin then smirking wickedly and adding coldly, "But don't think I'm gonna go easy on you!"

Machoke gulped while thinking, 'He looks like a pathetic shrimp but he's probably really hardcore. I can't let down my guard,' Weedle all the while thinking, 'Please, Quilladin, don't let me down.'

With that, it was time to reveal the damsel, Machoke all the while grinning while thinking, 'I wonder who I'll get. Maybe an intelligent blond with sexy glasses or a brunette in a bikini! Oh, the possibilities are endless!" his eyes widening when he noticed his damsel was a middle-aged man with sweat all over him. His entire face was lumpy and deformed and his nose was four times the size of a normal one.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT AM I DOING UP HERE!?" he spat, trembling for dear life as Weedle noticed Machoke's expression and asked, "Is something wrong?" the boy blinking as the caterpillar added, "Again, your job as heroes is to protect the innocent, and evil does not discriminate! They will attack anyone to get what they want, even the physically unattractive!" Beedrill nodding and replying, "Take it from an ex-villain. He's not lying."

Machoke took a deep breath and replied, "Okay, fine, you're right," Aipom shaking her head and sighing, "At this point, I'm ashamed of him for even thinking like that."

With that statue was shaken as the man fell, the race starting up. However, before Machoke could even try to outrun Quilladin, the chipmunk smirked and rolled up into a ball like Furret and Donphan had before shouting, "ROLLING PINATA!"

Machoke panicked as the chipmunk dug his claws into the dirt, sending it flying sideways and into the boy's eyes. Machoke tried his best to ignore this only to end up tripping on his own feet and falling forward, Quilladin smirking while Weedle looked hopeful.

However, just as all looked lost, Machoke remembered something. During his training with Aipom, the monkey had taught him how to defend himself when he could not see. She told him to think about what direction a possible attack would come from and use that to his advantage, and Machoke did just that by throwing his arms out and placing his hands firmly against the ground, stopping his fall and propelling himself forward.

Everyone stared in shock as Machoke soared right past Quilladin, Weedle asking, "How did someone so stupid pull off something like that!?" Beedrill turning as the caterpillar cleared his throat and uttered, "I mean, wow, what an impressive feat," Machoke landing on the safety mat as the deformed man fell on him.

The crowd went wild as Beedrill exclaimed, "And thus Machoke is the last participant to advance to the third event!" Weedle letting out a sigh as Quilladin looked down, slowly making his way toward the exit. Things were certainly looking up as Machoke had made it past the first two events, but what would the third one have in store?


	39. Chapter 39

It was time for the third event of the Hero Olympics, the one that would decide who would make it to the main event, that being the fighting tournament. But what kind kind of event would narrow down the still rather high numbers to a small one?

However, before that could start up, Machoke was looking really uncomfortable as the deformed man had had just saved as clinging to him, saying, "Thank you so much, good sir! You are incredible!" the man then looking into his eyes as Machoke was trembling all over.

He then proceeded to set the man down saying, "Uh, yeah, you're safe now. May your future be bright or something like that," the man's eyes sparkling as he uttered, "No one's ever said anything so encouraging to me before!" Machoke in absolute panic as the man started clinging to him again, Weedle watching this while thinking, 'That kid's suffering almost makes this all worth it.'

With that, Beedrill informed everyone that the final event would be taking place in a forest. The people were rather confused by this, but thankfully, the government had provided a free ride for them with the help of thirty big buses. Even the heroes would be getting this as well.

However, Weedle had one of the seats removed as the driver said, "Oh, sorry, Machoke, but there's not enough seats for you," Machoke retorting, "ARE YOU SAYING I HAVE TO RUN ALL THE WAY THERE!?" the man replying, "Not exactly," before pointing to a special seat tied to the back of the bus, Machoke groaning as Aipom laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head with her tail hand.

"It's fine, Machoke," came a familiar voice, Machoke turning to see Sawk standing there, the boy giving him thumbs up and adding, "I've lost enough dignity today. I don't see the harm in losing more," all going silent until the boy added, "You can have my seat. That's what I'm saying."

Machoke's eyes sparkled until the driver remarked, "Oh, sorry, you're actually not allowed to switch seats. This rule was recently added, like, at the last minute," Machoke frowning while thinking, 'I knew it, that geezer IS out to get me,' Sawk shrugging and saying, "Oh well, I tried."

And soon enough, the buses had all taken off, Reika looking out the window of hers and noticing Machoke trying desperately to stay in his own seat. She just really hoped he would not fall, especially considering that the rope itself did not look that secure.

Soon enough, all of the buses had arrived outside of a big forest as the audience took their seats in bleachers that had been set up there. Whatever was coming up must have been exciting for a change of location to be required.

Beedrill and Weedle once again sat behind a booth, Beedrill stating, "Alright, folks, this is it, the final event to decide who will advance to the fighting tournament!" Machoke groaning and rubbing his rear end, said spot having been hurting rather badly after such an uncomfortable ride.

Aipom was in the audience this time sitting next to Keiko as she sighed, "I hope Machoke's ready for this," Keiko replying, "Hey, you should know as well as I do that his family can often be counted on to make such things work out."

Weedle took the mic this time and stated, "Before we start the main event, we would like the heroes to pick a volunteer from the audience each," everyone rather confused by this statement, Machoke grinning and saying, "Hey, this actually sounds rather nice, a little downtime with the fans. We could use a break like this."

With that in mind, Hitmonchan immediately beamed before noticing Gallade in the crowd and pointed at him, exclaiming, "I pick you, Gallade!" the boy blinking in confusion as Beedrill added, "In this case, the hero's decision is absolute," the wasp blinking and uttering, "If it were up to me, I'd give the volunteers a right to refuse."

And soon enough, many others were chosen to go with various other heroes. Dodrio had ended up with a pair of conjoined twins while Octillery got a teenaged girl who said, "All my friends are afraid of you, but I don't know why. I think you're pretty cool," the octopus laughing and replying, "Thanks. It's always nice to meet a fan."

Machoke was about to pick someone when he noticed Lucario choose a girl around his age from the crowd. The boy stared in interest as he thought, 'Must be Lucario's girlfriend,' said girl actually being Amanda, Lucario asking, "Does Mom know you're here?" Amanda nodding and replying, "Yes. She actually gave me the money for the trip as a reward for getting straight one-hundred percent on everything in school," a big smile on her face as the dog snickered, "I figured you'd pull that off."

The two then gave each other a hug, Lucario once again making sure to lean forward and only hug with the parts above his spike so he could avoid accidentally stabbing her. Machoke took a while to figure out what was going on before thinking, 'Oh, I didn't know he had a sister, and a human one no less.'

Gardevoir had picked Kuro from the crowd, the man saying, "It's certainly nice to see you again," Gardevoir nodding and squeaking, "Likewise!" Aipom all the while thinking no one would want to spend time with her until suddenly, she felt something grab her tail hand.

Her eyes widened as she looked behind her to notice a dark blue dragon holding her hand with an intimidating grin on her face. Her hands were actually big claws with long flaps of skin resembling wings coming from the forearms. Her head looked more like the tail of a plane with two skin protrusions that resembled motors coming from the sides and a gold star on her forehead. Her belly was red with a bit of yellow in the belt area, her tail like that of a shark, though the tail fin looked more like the motor of a submarine. With a big fin that resembled a blade coming from her back, this was Garchomp.

Aipom blinked as the dragon said in a thick Russian accent, "I want you to be my partner, and as the rules say, you can't refuse," the monkey whimpering and biting her lower lip, trying her best not to show how scared she was right now.

Machoke all the while was desperately trying to get one of the remaining girls to go with him only for them to run in terror, Reika all the while looking around and thinking, 'I guess I should volunteer to go with Machoke,' Machoke then realizing he could just as easily pick her.

However, just as he was about to do so, he heard a familiar German voice state, "I would like you as my partner!" both Machoke and Reika in shock when they noticed Scyther pointing at the girl, inviting her over.

Reika was rather confused by this but walked over anyway, knowing she had little choice as she asked, "Are you serious?" Scyther nodding and replying, "Ja, I'm certain of it."

Machoke noticed this and fumed before shouting, "Alright, that's it! I'm picking someone right now!" before pointing toward one particular spot of the bleachers completely at random, his eyes widening when he noticed the one he had pointed at was the deformed man he had saved, the man smiling bright and exclaiming, "Wow! No one's ever picked me for anything before!"

The boy panicked when the man ran over to him, hugging his arm and saying, "You're the best, Machoke!" the boy then blinking and thinking, 'Well, it's not often I hear that.'

With all said and done, Beedrill stated, "Alright, now to reveal the reason why you were choosing partners," everyone staring as Weedle added, "My idea not to tell you until now," the others nodding as this made perfect sense, the wasp adding, "You see, this is going to be the setup for the next event."

All went silent as a picture of two people running side by side appeared, words forming over the image and saying 'Three-Legged Race'. The heroes all went wide-eyed, most of them looking beyond irritated by this.

"Are you kidding!?" one of them spat, clutching his head and groaning, "If I knew this, I would have picked a tough man!" the girl next to him remarking, "You know I can hear you, right?" another sighing, "I was not prepared for this."

Even Lucario had to admit he was a little worried right now as he turned to Amanda, the girl smiling sweetly and saying, "Don't worry, Lucario, I can handle myself," the dog taking a deep breath and replying, "Right, sometimes I forget you're on the track team."

Scyther simply smiled and said, "I had a feeling it was going to come to something like this," Reika asking, "So you chose me? Are you sure you want me as your partner?" the insect nodding and replying, "Ja. The first time I saw you, I could tell you must have athletic abilities."

Reika smiled and replied, "Well, it is true that I have been training to become a pro wrestler when I grow up, but I always do that in secret. You could really tell all that by looking at me?" Scyther nodding.

Kuro and Gardevoir did not look the least bit disappointed as both simply gave each other thumbs up. The same could easily be said for Gallade and Hitmonchan, what with both of them being heroes.

At that moment, the pairs were bound together with metal shackles, Machoke looking beyond uncomfortable as his partner was now hugging him. He wanted so desperately to trade with someone but knew he could not.

"Like Scyther, I had a feeling this would happen," Garchomp stated with a smirk, "That's why I chose you, Aipom. You're one of the smartest people in the universe, so I know you can guide me to victory," Aipom blushing a bit and replying, "Well, I don't mean to brag, but that is true," the monkey smiling bright and adding, "Well, I do feel bad helping out the competition, but if we're to be a team, I'll do my best," the dragon grinning and replying, "Thank you for being unbiased about this."

"Alright, so as you have already figured out judging by your reactions," Beedrill stated, "this last event is a three-legged race through this forest. There are obstacles along the way, so it's not always going to be an easy path, but there are signs telling you exactly what directions you're to go in. The first sixteen heroes to cross the finish line will partake in the fighting tournament while the rest will be eliminated."

"So this really is the event to decide everything," Machoke uttered before groaning, "Why, God, why!?" the man next to him not completely sure what the boy meant by that.

With that, everyone looked focused as Beedrill exclaimed, "Alright, on your mark, get set, go!" the wasp ringing a bell as the heroes were off, all of them hoping to do the best they could. However, while most of them had a relatively good start, Machoke was not looking so well as his partner seemed to have trouble running, the man uttering, "I must tell you I'm not really much of a runner," Machoke groaning, "Why?"

The others were not having too much trouble as they had not yet reached an obstacle. However, that soon changed when they came to a big pond of water in front of them, some people looking terrified to even attempt something like this. As if the large body of water that they could not walk around without breaking the rules was not enough, it looked like this water was badly polluted.

However, while most looked terrified, Octillery had no problem diving in, but not before offering to let her partner ride on top of her. The girl smiled bright and said, "Thank you, Miss Octillery!" the octopus replying, "That's what teammates do, right? They look out for each other!"

With that, the girl climbed onto the octopus' back as Octillery dove in, swimming across the water while wrapping two of her tentacles around her partner to keep her from falling off. The others saw this as one of them spat, "ALRIGHT, SCREW CLEANLINESS! I WANNA WIN THIS!" all of them getting into the water.

Unfortunately, it really was as deep as Octillery had made it look and some of the humans and even a couple of the heroes could not swim. But before they could potentially drown, Beedrill happened to be flying overhead to check up on everyone saying, "You there! Since you cannot advance, I'm afraid you have been disqualified! I'll be down to fish you out right now!" the wasp flying down and fishing each one out of the water one-by-one, all of them taking a seat as he called for a helicopter to bring them to the finish line so they could at least see who the winners were.

Lucario and Amanda, however, were not two of these people as they were swimming quite expertly, both of them picking up enough speed to pass by every water type Hero in the Olympics, including Octillery despite her early lead. Scyther and Reika were also doing quite well as both were descent swimmers, Scyther of course sticking to her 'no flying' code.

"I hate getting wet," Garchomp grumbled, scowling at the water as Aipom sighed, "Honestly, I'm kind of on the same boat, but luckily, I know a legal way around this," Garchomp listening carefully as Aipom pointed at a bunch of lily pads floating on the water's surface while saying, "If you jump quickly enough, even someone as big as you can jump from pad to pad without falling in."

Garchomp nodded and smirked, saying, "Alright, let's do this," the dragon leaping up and placing one foot against a pad before quickly sprinting off. It was just as Aipom had stated. Despite her size and weight, the speed of her jump prevented her from going under and soon enough, both had made it to the other side without once touching so much as a drop of water.

Sawk had gotten Throh as his partner, said hero having been in the audience today as both easily made their way to the other end, giving each other a high five before carrying on. And Gardevoir and Kuro did a very good job, the man being shockingly fast considering his size.

Unfortunately, Dodrio was not so lucky as they could not swim particularly well. It was not as if kiwi birds were incapable of swimming but rather they had never practised swimming before and as such, they did not even know how to use their legs to their advantage.

Gallade and Hitmonchan made it to the end rather easily too with both grinning at one-another before carrying on. And close behind was Lopunny and a thin boy she had chosen as her partner.

After being fished out along with some of the others, the male head groaned, "DAMMIT, THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING!" the females sighing, "For once I agree," the right head saying, "I'm so sorry, guys," the two conjoined twins shrugging as one head replied, "It's okay. I just think it's awesome I got to race alongside you," the other head adding, "Conjoined siblings for life!" the bird lifting up their foot and pounding it against the twins' fist.

However, when it finally came time for Machoke and his partner to get there, Machoke gulped and uttered, "Oh no, not swimming..." looking for a way around before remembering he could not stray from the path without being disqualified and he was certain Weedle had a way of knowing if he did.

However, his partner looked more than confident as he exclaimed, "This is great!" Machoke turning in confusion as the man added, "I may not be much of a runner, but I am an excellent swimmer!"

The boy simply prayed this was not a lie as both dove into the water, Machoke not even doing much as his partner was pulling him along at an incredible speed. Heck, it was so fast that he had actually outdone Lucario's speed from before, getting to the other side in only five seconds. Machoke could not believe how easy that had been but refused to stop and question this as the two carried on, his partner actually starting to pick up the pace a bit.

However, during this time, the other heroes were starting to resort to any means necessary of getting ahead. Just like in the damsel rescue race, they were allowed to use their abilities to slow down their opponents.

A dinosaur with a skull helmet named Cubone had his sights set on Lucario as he pulled out a bone and hurled it at the dog shouting, "BONEMERANG!" Amanda heard it coming and spat, "BROTHER, BEHIND YOU!" Lucario nodding and saying, "Spin with me in three, two, one," the two spinning their bodies around as Lucario used his palm to send the bone flying back at Cubone, hitting him hard in the pelvis and knocking him on his back as his partner stared at him and asked, "Are you okay?"

A blue alligator by the name of Feraligatr was pursuing Scyther, looking ready to strike her when Scyther noticed this, saying, "Reika, can you use a backward kick?" Reika nodding and replying, "That's one of the easiest moves out there," both of them sending their legs back and hitting Feraligatr hard in the gut.

After that, the two proceeded to lean one arm back each, using their combined efforts to lift the alligator over their heads and slam in on his back, his partner going down with him as Reika said, "Sorry, but we really want to win this," Scyther smiling and saying, "You have a strong hand, Reika," the girl flexing her muscles with a smirk.

Hitmonchan and Gallade were both doing a descent job fighting their way past a few opponents with Hitmonchan sending one opponent flying into a tree while Gallade used his right arm blade to strike down another. However, the two were then attacked by Pinsir and a bulldog named Granbull, each one coming from behind.

Gallade was unable to react in time as Hitmonchan immediately got in the way, taking in Pinsir's horns, the girl crying out in pain and falling to her knees. Gallade noticed Granbull about to add to the pain with his fists only to dash in front of the attack, taking in a hard blow to the face, both now feeling weak as the opponents carried on.

"You protected me," Hitmonchan uttered, her eyes sparkling as Gallade smirked, adding, "You protected me too," the two then getting close and pressing their lips up against one-another, one more opponent stomping over them and knocking them unconscious.

All the while, many opponents were trying to take Bisharp down, but the knight refused to let this get him down as he went all-out, blocking any incoming attack with his arm blades. However, he then noticed that all his quick movements were actually causing him to unintentionally injure his partner, an eight-year-old boy wearing a T-shirt with a picture of the knight's head on it.

"Are you okay, Yuma?" Bisharp asked as the boy groaned, "I'm so sorry, Mister Bisharp, sir! I'm a huge fan of yours and I wanted to meet you! You should have gotten a better partner!"

The knight simply shook his head and replied, "No, you were a fine ally for me, but you are now wounded, therefore I shall take it upon myself to bring you to safety," Bisharp using his wrist spike to unlock the shackles, Beedrill stating, "And Bisharp has sacrificed his spot in the Olympics to keep his partner safe!" the wasp letting down tears and sniffing, "I want to do something like that someday."

Gardevoir refused to resort to injuring opponents as a means of getting ahead. It simply was not in her nature, and of course, many heroes chose to take full advantage of this and try go knock her out. However, whenever they got close, Kuro would instantly keep them away by swinging his fists at them. Sure, he may have been a human, but he was tough and could hold his own even when facing a powerful creature.

"Thanks for the help," Gardevoir said with a smile, "though I'm not sure if I condone that sort of thing during a race," Kuro replying, "I am merely doing it to protect you, not to slow them down."

Lopunny had been doing very well, the rabbit easily keeping ahead. Unfortunately, her luck ran out when a being wrapped in blue vines named Tangela used her vines to trap her and her partner in place, the creature laughing and saying, "That's right, squirm, but it won't do you any good!" the rabbit gritting her teeth as she then thought of something, biting into the vine closest to her mouth as Tangela released her hold, her partner sighing, "I thought you were tougher than that."

Garchomp was easily plowing through opponents, Aipom letting her know when an opponent was sneaking up behind her, the dragon greatly appreciating the help. Suddenly, Ursaring got behind her and grabbed her by her right shoulder, saying, "There's only room for one Russian in the tournament!" Aipom exclaiming, "GARCHOMP, USE YOUR BACK FIN TO KEEP HIM AWAY!" the dragon nodding and swinging her blade-like fin to the right, smacking Ursaring on the side and causing him to let go.

All the while, Machoke and his partner were starting to catch up a bit as the human was starting to get the hang of running. It seemed his poor running at the start was simply due to a lack of experience and all this running was giving him much-needed practice.

"You hanging in there?" Machoke asked as the man nodded, replying, "Don't worry about me! I'll do my absolute best to make sure you're among the top sixteen!"

Numbers started to dwindle more when the leading heroes came to the next major obstacle, an area filled with big cobwebs. However, Sawk refused to let this get to him as he smirked, saying, "Just because the webs are big doesn't mean the spiders themselves are!" he and Throh attempting to burst right through one only to find it was a lot tougher than most webs were, the two stuck in it when a whole family of spiders came out, all of them putting on bibs and pulling out forks and knives.

The brothers cried out in terror as Beedrill flew in, cutting them loose and saying, "Well, you two have been caught in the webs and needed saving. Therefore you have been disqualified from the race," the two sighing in disappointment as Throh said, "Well, you made it this far," the boy shrugging as his brother nodded.

The others realized how serious this was as Lucario said, "Stick close to me, Amanda. This is going to get ugly," the dog racing toward a string of webs and shouting, "FORCE PALM!" sending his palm hard into the first one and blasting a hole in it.

Scyther nodded and used her blades for the same purpose, many others feeling bad about taking this approach but simply decided to follow behind Lucario and Scyther, letting those two take care of the webs for them. Sure, it meant they would have to hold off on trying to get ahead of them, but it was worth it.

By the time Machoke and his partner had gotten there, they were actually catching up and all of the webs had been taken care of, making for easy passage as Machoke noticed more opponents up ahead. However, while they were starting to catch up, the competition was not looking too happy about this, especially one particular opponent, a green snake named Serperior.

The snake folded her arms and said, "That Machoke has been soaking up the glory for far too long. I shall see to it that he fails miserably today," her partner, a smug businessman stroking his moustache and saying, "I must say, I like the way you think, Lady Serperior."

With that, the snake had the man climb onto her back as she exclaimed, "TAIL BLADE!" propelling herself off the ground and spinning toward Machoke with a green blade forming on the tip of her tail. However, she was not so much aiming for the boy himself as much as she was aiming for his shackles as she knew separating him from his partner would get him disqualified. She had already done this with three other opponents prior to this, so she knew this was an effective strategy.

However, while Machoke had been unaware of this, the man's ears twitched as he spat, "MACHOKE, BEHIND YOU!" Machoke turning around just in time to see his partner grab Serperior by the tail. He was about to be knocked out when Machoke quickly placed his own grip against the tail, noticing two trees side by side and smirking, saying, "Thanks, snake lady, you just gave me a great idea!"

With that, the boy ran over to the trees as his and his partner tied Serperior about both of them, her partner saying, "Good heavens, stop handling this fair maiden so violently!" Machoke and his partner both looking at each other with annoyed looks before barking, "SHUT UP!"

With that, both placed themselves against Serperior's body and moving back, the snake groaning, "OH GOD, THIS IS PAINFUL!" as the two used her like a slingshot to send them flying forward, the two actually managing to fly a really long distance, passing over the heads of many contestants.

However, one hero, a fox-like man with a long moustache named Alakazam detected the two of them coming as he held out two spoons, the girl next to him asking, "Oh, are you going to use your psychic powers?" Alakazam nodding and replying, "Yes I am," before closing his eyes and causing the spoons to bend with his mind shouting, "PSYCHIC SPOONS!"

This trapped the two in a magical bubble as Machoke groaned, "OH NO, WE WERE SO CLOSE!" his partner gritting his teeth and remarking, "WE CAN'T JUST LET IT END AFTER WE CAME SO FAR!" Machoke nodding as the two started beating against the bubble.

"Simpletons," Alakazam muttered, "You can't just break through a magical field with brute strength," his eyes widening when he heard the sound of a crack forming on the bubble, the fox turning and uttering, "That makes no sense!" as he was too spellbound to keep running when Machoke and his partner both managed to shatter the bubble.

With that, the two flew toward him, grinning at one-another and nodding before holding their arms out. Alakazam tried fleeing for his life only for the two to hook both his and his partner's necks, knocking them both down before running forward. Nothing was going to stop them now.

Finally, after all that running, it was time for the contestants to reach the finish line as those sitting by the entrance could see all of this on a big-screen TV. They all cheered wildly when they noticed Lucario and Amanda cross the finish line first followed closely by Scyther and Reika, the two breathing heavily as Reika smiled, saying, "Wow, we're actually in second," Scyther nodding and replying, "Danke schoen, Reika."

Garchomp and Aipom were close in third as Garchomp said, "Third place, huh? Not bad, kid," a grin on the dragon's face as Aipom smiled, replying, "You're a really good listener."

Gardevoir and Kuro were in forth, the two of them looking beyond relieved as following close behind was a monkey with a pig snout named Primape. Sixth place went to a purple starfish named Starmie while seventh was a red and black wolf named Houndoom. A dinosaur named Lairon was in eighth and ninth place went to Lopunny and her partner.

Now Aipom was staring to worry as he uttered, "Oh no, I hope Machoke is at least getting close," when she noticed cyborg named Metang coming in tenth, Lopunny nodding and replying, "Yeah, I want a chance to face him under better circumstances than last time."

It was looking less likely as eleventh place went to a rose girl named Roserade. A tan-coloured hippo named Hippowdon was in twelfth followed by a white fox with nine tails aptly named Ninetales in thirteenth.

And it was starting to look even worse as fourteenth place went to an odd Pokemon with a giant hand for a head and rocks as clothing named Barbaracle, fifteenth going to a blue duck named Golduck. This meant if Machoke and his partner did not pass next, it was all over.

Weedle saw this on screen and thought, 'Excellent,' Keiko and Reika's friends looking just as worried as the others. And it looked even worse when it looked like an orange crab named Kingler was going to take the sixteenth spot.

However, just as he was about to cross the finish line, Machoke and his partner came racing in, both now going faster than ever before and speeding right past the crab, Kingler and his partner both spellbound. With that, the boy and the man crossed the finish line, taking many deep breaths as Machoke asked, "How did we do?" Aipom smacking the back of his head and remarking, "You barely made it! Don't scare me like that!"

Reika nodded and replied, "Yeah, you cut it really close," Machoke taking a deep breath before suddenly realizing his shackles had been undone when he was not looking and his partner had already left.

"Where'd that guy go?" Machoke asked, blinking, "I need to thank him for his help," before noticing the man being taken to a car as a shockingly attractive woman was leading him to the vehicle, sighing, "So this is where you've been all day, honey. I've been worried sick," Machoke's eyes widening as Aipom said, "Even I'm a little surprised."

Just as the car was about to take off, the man turned to face Machoke one last time before waving with a smile on his face, the man leaving the area as Beedrill exclaimed, "And with that, the sixteen moving onto the fighting tournament have been decided! Join us next week as we begin the main event, but before that, we'll be deciding on the order tomorrow back at the Tokyo Dome, so be sure to stop on by there at noon!"

And with that, the elimination rounds were finally over and it was time for the main event to begin. This would certainly be exciting.


	40. Chapter 40

The following day, everyone was once again gathered at the Tokyo Dome to see the tournament lineup. Sure, it was not a big event and would be over with quickly, but this was still important to everyone anyway. They did not even care if they were to come all this way just for a two minute speech regarding the lineup just as long as they knew who was facing who.

However, some people were wondering about this big thing that was covered up by a cloth in the middle of the field. Why was that there? Whatever the reason, people would soon find out.

Beedrill and Weedle once again took their seats, but this time Nori had actually joined them. As it just so happened, since the tournament was taking place in Tokyo, she had been chosen to be the main announcer for the event. They simply could not think of anyone else for the task.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Beedrill exclaimed, "boys and girls, it's time for us to decide what order the tournament matches will take place in! But what you're probably wondering is how we're going to decide on this order!"

The audience shrugged as Reika said, "I just figured they were going to make a random draw out of a hat," Keiko shaking her head and replying, "When you've actually been to a couple of these, you don't expect something so simple," Reika and her friends now even more curious as Aipom nodded, saying, "I remember Mommy telling me how everything in the Olympics is a grand-scale event, even the drawing of the names."

"Allow me to direct your attention to this big object being covered by a cloth!" Beedrill exclaimed, everyone now even more curious as to what it was, Beedrill adding, "This was another genius idea pitched by my dad! Now, remove the curtain!"

At that moment, a man piloting a helicopter nodded and used a hook attachment to grab the cloth and pull it off, revealing a big board with targets on it. Everyone was curious as to what this meant, but of course an explanation was not far away.

"This will decide on the order the matches will take place in," Weedle explained, "Our heroes will be launched from a giant crossbow that will randomly select a spot," everyone now in panic as Beedrill added, "Oh, but they won't actually be in any harm."

At that moment, he revealed giant arrows with clear plastic balls instead of points on the ends of them. Inside these balls were the heroes themselves, each containing one hero of course. However, Machoke's friends were rather worried when they noticed his ball had dents in it.

"Hey, why's mine practically broken!?" the boy spat as Weedle replied, "Oh, sorry, there must have a problem when transporting it," Machoke really hoping his ball would stay intact as the middle portion that held the top and bottom halves together was caving in.

Lucario took a deep breath as everyone was feeling intense. And soon enough, the first hero was set up on a giant crossbow, this hero being Scyther. The arrow was fired as it hit the fifth target to the left, the stick detaching from the ball so as not to cover the insect from view.

And this kept up with everyone else Roserade was sent into the second target from the right, Garchomp fired into the forth. Golduck had hit the second from the left with Houndoom being shot right next to her. Hippowdon had landed next to Scyther while Lucario had been shot into the sixth target to the right.

More and more were fired until finally, it was Machoke's turn, the boy now grumbling about how he was last. However, his cursing came to an end when he was fired into the last spot, namely the forth spot to the left, his eyes widening when the two halves of his ball separated while flying, the boy crushed against the target by the end of the arrow's stick.

The others winced at the sight of this, Aipom groaning, "Weedle just can't let that grudge go, can he?" Reika and her friends turning to the monkey as she asked, "Isn't it obvious he's setting these things up?"

"And the order has been decided!" Beedrill exclaimed as Machoke groaned, sitting in his spot on the target board.

In the first match, Lopunny was set to take on Ninetales, the rabbit simply stoked to be first. Hippowdon would face Scyther in the second followed by Machoke and Barbaracle facing off in the third. Golduck was scheduled to fight Houndoom in the forth match with Gardevoir and Roserade in the fifth. Lairon and Garchomp were set to have the sixth match with Primeape and Lucario being the seventh to go up while Metang and Starmie would take the last match.

"And that's it for today!" Beedrill exclaimed, "Remember, only six more days until the tournament actually starts up, so I strongly recommend our fighters start preparing for the matches to come!" the crowd clapping before everyone left the area.

And needless to say, this was a big deal. This was the event everyone had been waiting for, the true highlight of the Hero Olympics. And because of this, people from around the world were booking flights to Tokyo so they could attend the matches in person with each group planning to root for their country's representative.

Before this, though, Machoke and the others had taken Beedrill's advice and were training really hard for the event. Even Machoke was actually putting some effort into this, though this was mostly due to his fight with Barbaracle. He looked absolutely terrifying and this made Machoke want to try extra hard to make sure he could win.

All of Machoke's friends had come over to spar in his back yard, Scyther and Blaziken going at it as Scyther said, "We may not be able to fight in an official match, but this will do for now," the chicken replying, "Yeah, but maybe someday, we can fight in a real match."

Gardevoir as sparring with Gallade as usual, the brother smiling and saying, "This is great! I may not have made it, but it's awesome one of us did!" Gardevoir blocking a few strikes from him and replying, "I'll make sure to do the best I can for both of us," Gallade replying, "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Machoke was sparring with Lopunny, the rabbit saying, "Hey, if we both win our first two matches, we'll get to fight each other!" Machoke nodding and replying, "We'd better make sure that happens, eh?" the two shaking hands and nodding.

Aipom was rather happy to see this. Machoke was taking this very seriously and that made the monkey proud. Still, both getting through the first two rounds to face each other would be a difficult task.

Reika had stopped by to watch with her friends, Tsuya turning to the girl and asking, "Hey, Reika, do you think Gallade and that Hitmonchan lady have something going on?" Reika and Cici turning to her before pretending not to know what she was talking about when in truth, they had detected that as well.

Of course Machoke and the others were not the only ones getting ready. Everyone was preparing extra hard for the matches yet to come. After all, this was a really big deal.

Scyther and Lopunny were both training very hard with Heracross helping them out. He figured he may as well be useful if he was not going to compete in the fighting tournament.

Lucario, meanwhile, had gone off to train on his own. By this point, Amanda was a lot more understanding and as such, she was okay with him being away from her for a longer period of time. She just hoped whatever training he was doing would help him greatly.

And the six days passed by quickly as it was finally time for the fighting tournament to begin. People were all gathered at the designated location, though surprisingly, this location was not the Tokyo Dome again but rather the roof of a local shopping mall. Sure, this was a strange location, but people still came to see the event unfold nonetheless.

Beedrill and Weedle were of course standing by to judge with Nori behind the announcer's booth. The woman was beyond excited to be taking part in such a major event.

All the while, Lopunny was getting ready for the match when Machoke and Aipom were headed toward the roof. The rabbit spotted them and waved with a big smile on her face, Machoke noticing this and waving back.

Lopunny then ran over and exclaimed, "Thank God I ran into you!" Aipom blinking and asking, "Are you getting cold feet?" Lopunny laughing and remarking, "How could I get cold feet? They're covered in fur!"

All went silent until Machoke slapped his knee, laughing hysterically and remarking, "Good one!" Aipom face-palming while thinking, 'He's a bad influence,' Lopunny then saying, "Machoke, I was hoping you could help me with my entrance," the boy grinning and replying, "You can count on me!" Aipom thinking the same thing she had before.

Soon enough, everyone was ready as Machoke joined his friends in the bleachers, Reika saving him a seat. However, just as he was approaching, she noticed Scyther wanting to sit next to her. She was unsure why, but she actually allowed Scyther to sit next to her.

Machoke noticed this and groaned, thinking, 'She didn't save me a seat?' before shrugging and sitting next to Scyther, the insect saying, "Hey, Machoke, here to study the competition?" the boy replying, "Well, I already know how Lopunny fights and I have no doubt she's going to win this match. I just wanna show my support for as long as I'm not fighting her."

Aipom blinked, rather relieved to see him being a good sport when Beedrill took hold of a microphone and exclaimed, "Welcome, everyone, to the first round of the Hero Olympics fighting tournament!" the crowd going wild as the fans had been divided based off of which hero they supported.

Nori then added, "Today, we are going to be showing you eight matches that are sure to be exciting! Though it is worth note that the location will be changing for every couple of matches, so expect to be moving around a lot," Machoke groaning, "And we have to get this all done in one day? Are you serious?" Aipom shrugging and replying, "Well, according to Mommy, the location of the matches never changed before. Guess they decided to spice things up a bit."

"So without further ado," the announcer added, "it's time to introduce the fighters for the first match!" the woman then pointing toward the left entrance and saying, "In the red corner, representing India and possessing a very strong fighting spirit, having been the first one to defeat Gardevoir, Lopunny!" Gardevoir looking rather calm as Machoke asked, "That statement didn't upset you?" the girl shaking her head as she replied, "Lopunny's a friend, so I'm okay with losing to her."

With that, Lopunny entered the area sporting a fancy Indian dress, a look of sophistication on her face. Aipom's jaw dropped, her eyes wide open as she turned to Machoke. Was this the entrance he had chosen for her? Judging by the happy look on his face, it had to have been, but why now had he decided to actually give a serious entrance for a change?

All became clear soon enough when the rabbit proceeded to leap high into the air, spinning while throwing off her dress to unveil a revealing dancer's outfit, the rabbit performing of all things a snake dance. Machoke figured it would be a clever way of showing she was fearless enough to mimic a rabbit's natural predator. However, this still looked dignified enough until she threw her arms in the air, streamers shooting from a pair of golden bracelets on her wrists.

However, even for an idea of Machoke's, this was shockingly appropriate and not too far off from what someone else wanting to give the audience a show would have tried. As such, the Indian fans were absolutely thrilled by what they had seen and were showering Lopunny in heavy applause.

"I gotta say, that's quite the entrance!" Nori exclaimed, Beedrill nodding and replying, "Yeah, that was really cool," Lopunny all the while thinking, 'Thanks, Machoke. I never would have come up with this.'

Soon, the applause died down as Nori exclaimed, "And in the blue corner, representing North Korea, a fox with a fiery passion for what she does, descended from a long line of kitsunes, Ninetales!" the Korean fans going wild as the nine-tailed fox ran toward the ring, leaping high into the air. She then spun vertically to form a beautiful wheel in the air, landing gracefully against the mat and striking two peace signs, a serious look on her face.

She was quite a beautiful creature to say the least. Her fur was golden white and her eyes were ruby red with no pupils. The tips of her long, elegant tails were covered in pale orange fur and the fur atop her head resembled a long ponytail blowing in the wind.

After that, Ninetales smiled at Lopunny and bowed her head before saying, "It is an honour to meet you, Miss Lopunny," the rabbit grinning and replying, "Same here!" the fox then holding out her hand as the two shared a friendly handshake, Nori stating, "It's always nice to see fighters show respect before a match."

The two then headed to their own separate sides of the ring as Beedrill rose his arm, ramming his stinger against the bell to signal the start of the match. Despite her looking rather calm after her entrance, Ninetales wasted no time rushing toward Lopunny.

The rabbit threw her ears out like fists in an attempt to stop the fox only for Ninetales to duck under them, running into the rabbit for a tackle. However, Lopunny refused to let this get her down as she held her ground, wrapping her ears around the fox.

Ninetales' eyes widened as Lopunny bounced high above the ring, flipping her downward so the fox's head was facing the mat, Lopunny binding her ankles with her ears and spinning toward the canvas, shouting, "BUNNY TORNADO!" Ninetales hitting the mat hard.

The crowd went wild as Machoke exclaimed, "YEAH, YOU GO, GIRL!" Nori exclaiming, "And already Lopunny has managed to hit Ninetales with her strongest move! Sure, it's a little early in the match, but could it already be over?"

It seemed not as Ninetales rolled around, clutching her head before getting up and taking a deep breath. As Nori had stated, it was very early in the match and Ninetales had not taken in a whole lot of pain prior to its use, so it made sense that the kitsune was still able to get up. Even so, she would need to be more careful now.

With that in mind, she once again rushed toward Lopunny, as the rabbit got on the defensive again, sending her ears toward her. When she noticed Ninetales dodging once again, she reeled her ears back and stood on them, preparing to kick the fox when she got close. However, Ninetales saw this coming as she swerved to the right, sending a karate chop into Lopunny's cheek.

However, Lopunny ignored the pain and placed her feet back on the canvas before wrapping her ear around Ninetales' wrist. The kitsune's eyes widened as she tried to escape only for Lopunny to take full advantage of this, once again propelling her feet off the mat and sending them into the fox's gut.

The Indian fans were loving every second of this as Lopunny finally managed to punch Ninetales with one of her ears. However, Ninetales simply grabbed hold of the ear after it hit, attempting to pull on the rabbit. However, Lopunny managed to overcome this by sending her other ear into the kitsune's midsection, Ninetales now looking too weak to counter anything.

The Indian fans along with Lopunny's friends were beyond happy to see her performing so well. It looked like there was nothing Ninetales could possibly do to her as Nori exclaimed, "Lopunny's on fire today! She's only taken in one hit so far and it didn't seem to have done much!"

However, while the Indian fans along with Machoke and his friends continued to cheer, the Korean fans looked strangely calm. It was as if they knew something that the others did not. Did Ninetales have something planned for Lopunny?

Whatever the case, Lopunny saw this as a perfect opportunity to end the match super quick as she said, "I was hoping for more of a challenge, but I intend to win and face Machoke at some point, so I can't let this chance go!" the rabbit tucking her ears in before sending them toward Ninetales' face shouting, "DIZZY PUNCH!"

But just as the attack was about to hit, Ninetales suddenly recovered as if all that pain dealt earlier meant nothing. It certainly did not stop there as she easily leapt over the ears, landing delicately against them, standing perfectly against them.

"Hey, how's she doing that!?" Machoke spat, "When I tried that, I ended up being too heavy!" Aipom rubbing her chin with her tail hand and replying, "While I can tell from looking at Ninetales that she's much lighter than you, I get the impression there's more to it."

Either way, Lopunny was absolutely shocked as Ninetales sprinted across the ears, leaping up and flipping toward the rabbit, planting her feet hard into Lopunny's face. The rabbit groaned in pain before falling hard on her back, Ninetales proceeding to lift the rabbit up, turning both Lopunny and herself around so their backs were facing each other. After that, the kitsune wrapped two of her tails around Lopunny's wrists, two more against her ankles. Two were then used to hold onto her torso, two more trapping her ears in place while the top one was wrapped around her neck.

"KITSUNE BACKBREAKER!" Ninetales exclaimed before pressing Lopunny hard against her back, applying extreme pressure to the rabbit's. Lopunny cried out in pain as her friends stared in shock, Reika uttering, "Where did that come from?"

Scyther simply gritted her teeth, barking, "COME ON, LOPUNNY, YOU'VE DEALT WITH WORSE!" Heracross getting up from his own seat and adding, "AYE, I KNOW YOU CAN GET OUTTA THIS!"

However, neither of the two knew exactly how tough this hold was. The truth was that this was the worst submission move Lopunny had ever taken in. Whatever the reason for this was, Ninetales' tails had an incredible amount of strength, more so than the rest of her body.

"Did you honestly believe that you could defeat me so easily?" Ninetales asked, "That I was really just a simple opponent for you to show off your abilities on? Trust me, all that damage you dealt to me earlier was not you."

The Korean fans were smiling. They were not cheering, just smiling. It was as if they knew this was coming. All the while, everyone else was wondering what Ninetales meant.

"Wait, are you saying you let me hit you?" Lopunny grunted as Ninetales nodded, replying, "Yes, I was merely studying your technique. You definitely possess a strong spirit, but your abilities are nothing special. Once they're seen in action, it's very easy to figure them out. In other words, you lack variety."

Lopunny's eyes widened as tears rolled down her cheeks. All this time, she truly believed that she was worthy to fight alongside Heracross and Scyther, but now she was unsure of this. After all, she had taken the longest to find her fighting spirit and ultimately needed Scyther's help to shape her into a descent fighter. Sure, she had won the first match, but after that, Machoke had found ways to exploit quite a few of her abilities. The only time she came close to beating him was when the rabbits weakened him.

But just as she was about to give up, Scyther gritted her teeth and spat, "NEIN!" everyone turning to stare at her including the Korean fans, the insect adding, "DON'T LISTEN TO ANOTHER WORD, LOPUNNY!"

The rabbit was not even sure what to think about this. Was Scyther just being nice?

"She's right, lassie!" Heracross barked, "Look, Lopunny, if you weren't fit to be a member of our team, you wouldn't have passed your final exam at the same time we did! You wouldn't have advanced to the second round of The Next Gen Battle! I lost the first round but you advanced! I failed to make it to the fighting tournament and yet you succeeded!"

"But you lost at Rock, Paper, Scissors," the rabbit uttered in response as Machoke spat, "HEY, LOPUNNY!" Lopunny then turning to face him as he added, "Where's that spirited firebrand who almost defeated me, huh!? I must be looking at her twin sister, because the Lopunny I know is no quitter! You only gave up against me because the conditions were unfair! But right now, the conditions are perfectly fair, so you have no excuse to back out!"

"He's right!" Reika exclaimed, Gardevoir nodding and squealing, "YOU CAN DO IT, LOPUNNY! YOU BEAT ME WHEN I HAD MY POWERS ACTIVATED! NO ONE ELSE HAS MANAGED TO PULL THAT OFF!" and this would have been a lie if not for the fact that Hitmonchan defeated her before she could use her power.

With that, Lopunny's friends rose their arms in the air chanting, "Lopunny! Lopunny!" many others joining in as soon, all of the Indian fans were cheering her on. A tear rolled down the rabbit's cheek as she bit her lower lip, a cute smile forming as she sniffed, "Thank you, you're all wonderful!"

Ninetales smiled and said, "Well, at the very least, you certainly have a lot of loving fans," Lopunny nodding and gritting her teeth before growling, "YEAH, AND I'M NOT GONNA LET THEM DOWN!" the rabbit applying three times as much muscle as usual before breaking free from the hold, Ninetales' eyes widening, the kitsune legitimately surprised by this.

However, this had taken a lot out of Lopunny as she took a deep breath, thinking, 'I only have enough strength for one more move, so I'd better make this count,' the rabbit smacking the kitsune's face to have her spin around and face her, Lopunny wrapping her ears around her and bouncing high above the ring.

However, while everyone was cheering wildly, Ninetales had other plans in mind as she smiled, saying, "Perfect," before shouting, "KITSUNE CANDLE!" everyone gasping as small flames formed on the tips of her tails.

The heat from the fire caused Lopunny to release her hold, crying out in pain as Ninetales then proceeded to turn her body around, wrapping tails around the rabbit again, this time using them to flip her upside-down. All went silent, the Korean fans once again smiling without making any noise as the kitsune descended toward the mat shouting, "KITSUNE DRIVER!"

With that, Lopunny's head was slammed hard into the canvas, her eyes wide open from both pain and shock as Ninetales released her, the rabbit's body collapsing. All went silent as Nori counted to ten before ringing the bell, the Korean fans finally making sound as their side of the bleachers erupted in wild cheers, the Indian fans looking absolutely mortified.

"Just as it looked like Lopunny was going to turn everything around, it seems the victory still goes to Ninetales!" Nori exclaimed as Beedrill took a deep breath, saying, "Man, that was an intense first match! I hope the others are this good if not better!"

Machoke was now trembling as his teeth chattered, the boy uttering, "Oh god, I don't wanna face that monster in combat!" Scyther taking a deep breath before remarking, "Worry not, my friend. I fully intend to win my first match and then avenge my comrade."

"Geez, you make it sound like she's dead or something," Heracross remarked with a disturbed look as Aipom sighed, "Well, we certainly can't take Ninetales lightly, that's for sure."

However, just as it seemed Ninetales would be a scary opponent for anyone to face, the kitsune knelt down with a smile on her face and took Lopunny's hand, helping her up and carrying her over to a hospital bed that had been brought into the area just in case someone had been hospitalized, the Korean fans applauding her as Blaziken said, "Well, at least she's nice," Gardevoir and Cici both biting their lips. For some reason, they did not buy this, and it was very rare for these two especially to get a feeling like that about someone let alone a hero.

Even so, Scyther knew her match was next and as such, she got up and exited the area to go ready herself. She knew she only had a small amount of time to get ready as Beedrill stated, "Scyther there certainly has the right idea. I should have mentioned this earlier, but after a match, the next contestants are only given five minutes to get themselves ready for theirs."

"Five minutes!?" Scyther's opponent, Hippowdon spat before getting up and quickly running to the other exit to get ready himself. Would Scyther be able to win and get her chance to face the one who defeated her partner?


	41. Chapter 41

With Lopunny's match with Ninetales out of the way, it was just about time for Scyther's match. Hopefully she would not meet the same fate as her friend had.

Before the match could start, Scizor was standing next to the ring to give Scyther advice when she needed it. After all, Scyther would never go into a match without help.

During this time, the Indian and Korean fans had gone from their own separate bleachers to the ones in the middle, switching placed with the fans of the two fighters replacing the opponents. After all, the rules indicated that the opposing fanbases must be separated in order to avoid getting into fights with each other.

After five minutes, Beedrill nodded at Nori who beamed and exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's time for the second match of the Hero Olympics fighting tournament to begin!" the crowd getting excited as the woman added, "In the red corner, hailing from Africa, an absolute beast in the ring who can give anyone a run for their money, Hippowdon!"

The African fans went wild as Hippowdon burst into the area, shooting sand of all things out of his nostrils and wearing a cape. He was truly an intimidating sight as his big mouth and large lower teeth were not the only dangerous-looking features he had. His muzzle was covered with a dark-grey armour with three holes on each of the sides, two big ones for his nostrils. He had four blunt claws on each of his hands and feet and all four were clad in armour as well. This armour also covered his backside all the way up to his skull, blood-shot eyes showing through two holes near the top, his back armour having holes the same size as those given to his nostrils. But what could they possibly be for?

The hippo charged toward the ring before leaping into it, taking off the cape and tossing it to the side before letting out a loud battle cry, shouting, "YOU'RE GOING DOWN, SCYTHER!" the African fans going wild as Machoke winced, uttering, "Oh god, I wouldn't want to fight that guy either."

Gallade simply patted the boy on the shoulder and replied, "I'm sure Scyther will be fine," Machoke sighing, "Yeah, you're right. She's very strong."

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "representing Germany, an insect with a lot of spirit and dedication to her duty, Scyther!" the German fans along with Machoke and the others cheering wildly as the insect flew toward the ring, performing a few aerial flips before landing firmly against the mat. As always, she only used her wings for her entrances and nothing else.

"I have been looking forward to this," Hippowdon said with a serious look in his eyes, "Oh yes, of all the participants in this tournament, you are the one I wanted to fight the most! I can't help but think this is all fate!"

Scyther blinked as Gardevoir asked, "What could he possibly have against Scyther? Does he know her personally," Gallade blinking and replying, "Maybe he's seen her on TV and become jealous of her skills," Aipom saying, "That is a possibility."

Reika simply hoped Scyther would win, even more than she usually supported Machoke and his friends. But why? She barely knew Scyther. That three-legged race was the most she had ever interacted with the insect, so what was going on here?

Before the match could start, Scizor was giving Scyther a little bit of advice as she whispered, "Alright, Scyther, just from seeing him run, this Hippowdon is not very fast. How he managed to make the top sixteen winners of the race is beyond me, but you can easily exploit that lack of speed. As soon as the bell rings, rush him and hit him with everything you have."

"But what sorts of moves should I use?" Scyther replied as her mother thought about this before replying, "His body is likely tough even the parts without that armour of his. Don't hold back with your strength and you should be fine."

Before exiting the ring, though, Scizor added, "Also, be sure to aim away from his armour and be careful about those holes on his back. I get the feeling those are more than just decoration," Scyther nodding in understanding.

Once Scizor was out of the ring, Nori rang the bell, Scyther immediately sprinting toward Hippowdon. The hippo frowned and lifted up his right arm, sending his palm forward. However, the insect easily dodged this as Scizor nodded her head. Of course the insect did not let it end there as she sent a roundhouse kick into Hippowdon's side.

This seemed to cause some pain as the hippo winced in response, Scyther sending another kick before leaping back to avoid another attempt at a palm punch. She would have raced around the hippo's back in an attempt to strike him again, but Scizor had warned her about the holes and she too believed something was up with them, especially with the way sand had come from his nostrils prior for the beginning of the match.

"Scyther's off to a good start!" Nori exclaimed, "Hippowdon may be strong, but his speed is simply no match for Scyther's!" the German fans going wild.

Hippowdon simply grunted, more sand coming from his nostrils as he took the offensive this time, rushing toward Scyther as the insect easily sidestepped the attack, sending two more roundhouse kicks into his side. After that, she proceeded to leap sideways onto his arm, latching her legs around it before wrapping her arms around his neck, once again doing her best to avoid the holes on his back.

"Excellent work, Scyther!" Scizor exclaimed as the insect continued to hold onto the hippo. Sure, hurting him externally was not too effective, but even the heaviest and strongest of opponents could be beaten internally.

The German fans were still going wild as the African fans were in panic, Hippowdon noticing their faces and thinking, 'Don't worry, I'll turn this around! That Scizor made one fatal miscalculation when giving her precious 'schuler' advice.'

And with that, the hippo clenched her hand claws together before putting on a more serious expression, blood pumping through him when suddenly, the muscles in his arm expanded greatly, everyone gasping when this proved more than enough to force Scyther's legs off of that very spot. Beedrill simply blinked and asked, "How did he do that?" Nori exclaiming, "Just as it seemed Scyther had Hippowdon, he managed to expand his arm muscles!"

With that, the hippo proceeded to move his head in a circular motion, Scyther still clinging to it as now she was swinging around and around. After a few seconds, though, Hippowdon had managed to loosen her hold before applying just a little bit more pressure to his swing, sending her flying head-first into the turnbuckle.

The African fans went wild as the hippo took a deep breath, saying, "I didn't think I'd get a chance to use something like that against you, but I'm glad I did!" Reika frowning before grumbling, "Look how smug he's acting after only hitting her once," Cici and Tsuya staring at her. She had never been this mad after seeing a wrestler she liked take in a fierce blow no matter how bad it was.

Scizor was simply staring at this in shock before asking, "Are you okay?" Scyther taking a deep breath and shaking the pain off of her head, replying, "I'm fine, lehrer," the mother taking a deep breath, though it did make sense to her. After all, with all the training she had put Scyther through, the insect should have been able to take something like that.

And of course Scyther would not simply let something like this go as she sprinted toward the hippo again, Hippowdon smirking and saying, "You know, Scyther, you were smart to avoid the holes on my back. You see, my armour is not so much meant for protection as much as it is to help control a special power I have had ever since birth," all going silent, Scyther stopping dead in her tracks as sand started spewing from the holes.

'I knew it!' Scizor thought with an intense look, but this was actually worse than even she could have comprehended as the sand very quickly covered the entire ring.

Scyther simply took a deep breath and asked, "Is this supposed to scare me? Because it doesn't!" the insect starting to run again, Hippowdon smirking before shouting, "SANDSTORM!" taking in a deep breath before shooting a huge gust of wind from his mouth.

All went silent as the wing from the hippo's mouth created a small twister that picked up the sand, Hippowdon adding, "Something worth note is that when my sand is in the air, it's pretty strong!"

Scyther's eyes widened as Scizor snapped, "SCYTHER, FIND A WAY AROUND IT!" but it was too late as the twister soon surrounded the insect, the sand pelting her, some of it getting in her eyes. As if that was not strange enough, the sand that hit her actually put light bruises on her proving that Hippowdon was not exaggerating when he said his sand was tough.

After a few seconds, the wind died down as the sand had finally been blown away. Unfortunately, Scyther still had sand in her eyes as she groaned, trying to wipe it out as Scizor gasped, the others equally worried.

Of course Hippowdon wasted no time as he took full advantage of this, the hippo charging toward Scyther and slamming his palm hard into her face, the African fans now going wild. With the insect blinded, she had not seen this coming as he continued to send more and more palm punches to her.

To make matters worse, Scizor was not sure what to do about this. She felt so helpless as Scyther took in many fierce blows, the bug soon coughing up blood as she held her arms in front of her face only for Hippowdon to switch tactics, now kicking her in the shins.

Machoke's eyes widened as he spat, "HEY, SCIZOR, I GOT AN IDEA! YOU COULD BE SCYTHER'S SEEING-EYE DOG!" Scizor turning and staring at him as she asked, "What?" the others staring at him, Reika actually understanding what he meant as she sent her fist down into her palm saying, "He's got a point. You could simply tell Scyther where the attacks are coming from."

Scyther continued to take in more hits until Scizor nodded, getting the message before exclaiming, "Scyther, your right shoulder!" the insect dodging an incoming palm punch aimed at that very spot, Hippowdon blinking before sending a palm punch toward more spots only for Scizor to direct Scyther through it, the insect now managing to dodge each attack.

Hippowdon lost patience and said, "Alright, let's see you dodge this," sending his palm toward her midsection as Scizor spat, "SCYTHER, CLAP YOUR HANDS TOGETHER!" Scyther finding this to be an odd command but doing so anyway, her hands clasping onto the hippo's wrist.

The insect did not need more advice to know what to do next as she rammed her shoulder hard into Hippowdon's chin, the hippo's head going up. Sure, his skin was tough, but Scyther had applied enough force for it to have a strong effect.

With that, the insect took full advantage of this, wiping the sand off of her eyes and taking a deep breath, saying, "That was very inconvenient, but I'm ready now," Hippowdon releasing sand from his nostrils as he grunted, "You're persistent, but that's not good enough!"

The others were cheering as Heracross said, "Hey, Machoke, that was a great idea," Machoke grinning and replying, "I know," Aipom feeling rather ashamed of herself for not coming up with it first, especially since it was such an obvious idea. In fact, she found it strange that Scizor had not thought of it what with her knowledge of fighting.

Whatever the case, Scizor was beyond grateful as she whispered to herself, "Danke schoen, Machoke."

Hippowdon figured with Scizor's advice, whipping up another sandstorm might not help too much. As such, he simply rushed at Scyther, figuring the insect must have taken in too much damage to do much else. If he could at least get her to expel her energy, she would be an easy target.

Unfortunately for him, Scyther had a very strong spirit, one that could not be broken so easily. As such, she easily dodged more incoming palm punches and before sending more kicks to Hippowdon's side. She would have attempted to slam him at this point, but she knew the hippo would be too heavy for even her to lift up without straining herself at the very least.

Hippowdon fumed and attempted to strike her even more, Scyther once again dodging and sending various hits into him, the German fans going wild while the African fans were worried. Hippowdon's best strategy had been beaten thanks to Scizor's advice. What could he do now.

However, he remembered something he could down as he smirked, saying, "That's it, I had completely forgotten about this," the hippo releasing sand from his back and once again covering the ring. Scyther frowned and said, "I can overcome another sandstorm," Hippowdon remarking, "Oh, I'm not planning on using Sandstorm again!"

At that moment, all went silent, Nori's eyes widening as the hippo proceeded to release a large amount of drool from his mouth. Even the African fans looked rather disgusted by this, Machoke shrugging and saying, "I don't see what the big deal is. He's probably thinking about food right now," Aipom sighing, "In the middle of a match?" Machoke shrugging and replying, "It's possible."

However, Scyther very quickly realized what he was doing as she tried to back up toward the turnbuckle only for her feet to get stuck in the sand, Hippowdon shouting, "QUICKSAND!" everyone staring as Scizor exclaimed, "Of course! He was making the sand thick so Scyther couldn't move in it!" everyone gasping as Nori said, "Well, it was rather disgusting to look at, but it certainly did its job."

Hippowdon chuckled while wiping the remaining drool from his lower lip, saying, "Now you can't dodge me anymore!" the hippo walking over to her and placing his hands against his hips, saying, "You pretty much brought this upon yourself. If you simply dashed your pride and tried flying during a match, you wouldn't be stuck right now."

All went silent among the crowd as the hippo added, "Now, I could buffet you with an onslaught of palm punches, but quite frankly, I want to make this victory even more impressive."

With that in mind, the hippo turned his back to Scyther and shot a burst of sand from his back, but this was different as rather than just shooting straight out, it moved in a very artistic pattern, kind of like a series of ropes. Soon enough, Scyther was trapped in an orb made of sand as Hippowdon shouted, "SAND TOMB!" everyone gasping as a string of sand was added.

"IT'S JUST SAND, YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS!" Scizor spat but was soon proven wrong with Hippowdon simply allowed three drops of drool to fall onto the sand thus thickening it enough so even with her best efforts, Scyther could not break through.

The hippo then took hold of the sand rope attached to the capsule and threw his arm up, lifting the capsule high above his head, spinning it around. After a few seconds, he proceeded to slam it hard against the mat and with Scyther inside of it, she naturally took in pain from this.

Hippowdon kept this up as Nori stated, "It seems Hippowdon's Sand Tome technique has certainly turned things back in his favour. With no way of moving, what can Scyther possibly do?"

However, Scizor knew what to do this time as she gritted her teeth and snapped, "SCYTHER, USE THE ARM SCHWERT TO CUT YOUR WAY OUT OF THAT CAPSULE!" Hippowdon remarking, "Don't waste your breath! This tomb is so thick that she can barely hear a thing from inside of it!" the African fans cheering wildly.

However, unbeknownst to everyone, Scyther had heard her mother's words. As such, the insect took a deep breath and allowed her blades to grow out of the bottoms of her arms.

Hippowdon was back to spinning her, feeling beyond confident until he noticed a blade sticking out of the side of the capsule. His eyes went wide as a second one came from the other side, the blades then spinning around before the entire capsule came open, Scyther being the one who was spinning her arm blades around like a top.

The crowd went wild as Blaziken exclaimed, "THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!" Reika taking a deep breath as Scizor smirked, saying, "Never underestimate the bond between a schuler and lehrer."

Hippowdon stared in absolute shock, unable to respond as Scyther crossed her arms, headed straight for the hippo and shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" the insect swinging her blades outward when she got close enough, a big X forming on the hippo's chest as his eyes widened, Hippowdon falling hard against the ring as his body caused it to shake, all the wet sand flying out of the ring as a result.

All went silent as Nori counted to ten before ringing the bell and exclaiming, "AND THE WINNER OF THE SECOND MATCH IS SCYTHER!" the German fans going wild while the African fans stared in horror at the sight of their representative now bleeding and unconscious.

Scizor took a deep breath and nodded at Scyther, the daughter nodding back and leaping out of the ring to exit along with her mother. Reika watched the two leave with a smile, glad that Scyther had won in the end.

"That was a close one," Machoke said with a sigh, Aipom replying, "Don't forget, you might have to face her at some point," the boy groaning, "Thanks for the reminder."

Ninetales all the while simply watched Scyther leave with interest. The kitsune certainly could not take her lightly especially with her skills as good as they were.

"Alright, with that out of the way, we will be taking a two-hour break, but keep in mind this is only to change locations," Beedrill explained, "The next two matches will take place in the local aquarium, mainly the area usually reserved for shows. Be sure to get there in time for these matches are certain to be very exciting."

Aipom turned to Machoke and said, "We'd better hurry. Your match is next," the boy nodding before noticing the heroes were actually being given rides to their next locations. One vehicle had been chosen for Machoke and Golduck while another had been reserved for Barbaracle and Houndoom.

However, this soon seemed inconvenient for Machoke as he and Golduck were given a run-down jalopy with its roof broken off, Aipom groaning, "Weedle must really hate you," Machoke replying, "No kidding," Golduck simply folding her arms and napping, not really caring too much about this.

And of course Houndoom and Barbaracle had been given first-class service, the two being driven in a nice comfortable car. Needless to say, the two enjoyed this a lot.

Everyone else had found their own way of getting to the aquarium, Reika and her friends deciding to do a little sight-seeing first. The group looked at a variety of sea creatures in tanks when they noticed Gallade and Gardevoir looking around as well.

Gallade and Gardevoir were admiring the sea creatures as Gardevoir asked, "Do you think they might have a mermaid here?" Gallade laughing nervously before replying, "I don't think people would want to put a mermaid in a fish tank," Reika overhearing this and finding Gallade's response rather cute.

"He's such a good brother," Tsuya said with her eyes sparkling, "I wish I had a brother like that," Cici uttering, "But you don't have a brother," Tsuya looking down and sighing, "I guess having a brother would be nice, too," Cici patting her on the shoulder and squeaking, "There, there."

"By the way, I have some good news," Gallade said with a grin as Gardevoir blinked, asking, "What is it?" Tsuya uttering, "Oh no, it's not what I think it is, is it?" Gallade saying, "I'm gonna tell the others later, too, but Hitmonchan and I are going on a date the next time the Olympics go on break," Tsuya's jaw dropped, Reika uttering, "Oh my god, I had my suspicions, but damn."

She and Cici looked at Tsuya with concern as the girl took a deep breath before saying, "It's fine. I'll just find someone else to spend my life with," Reika shrugging and sighing, "Only you would say something like that and actually mean it."

Scyther was looking around as well. She had originally intended on going off to train seeing as she already knew what her opponent was like, but Machoke was a friend and the insect wanted to see how his match would go. She would simply head off on her own when it was time for Golduck and Houndoom to fight. Heracross would have joined her but he had agreed to stay with Lopunny in the hospital.

Either way, the two hours had passed soon as crowds were gathered for the next match, the bleachers once again filled as it turned out the ring was actually right in the middle of the pool used for dolphin shows and the like. This was certainly different.

"Welcome, everyone to the location of the third match of the Hero Olympics!" Beedrill exclaimed, "As you can see, the ring is located right in the middle of the pool, which means anyone knocked out of the ring will end up taking a dip!"

Nori nodded and exclaimed, "Anyway, it's time to introduce our fighters! In the red corner, representing Japan and having defeated many opponents since he arrived on Earth, Machoke!" everyone staring as the boy strutted toward the ring wearing a rubber ducky life preserver, a pair of flippers and a lifeguard outfit, the boy exclaiming, "LIFEGUARD MACHOKE ON DUTY!" the people all laughing at this.

Machoke looked around as one of the audience members spat, "OH MY GOD, YOU LOOK SO STUPID!" another adding, "I'M SORRY, WAS THIS SUPPOSED TO LOOK COOL!?" Machoke letting out a sigh as Gardevoir uttered, "I hate to admit it, but I agree with everyone else this time," Blaziken nodding and replying, "Yeah, he's not even trying this time."

Weedle all the while closed his eyes tight and thought, 'For the love of God, can't he take this serious just once!? His last entrance was actually good, and he wasn't even the one doing it!'

Once the boy removed all his swim gear, Nori proceeded to say, "And in the blue corner, representing Greece is a rather scary-looking fighter that's sure to bring a lot to the table, Barbaracle!"

The Greek fans cheered wildly as Barbaracle entered the area, folding all four of his arms. He really was quite a sigh to behold. His torso was orange while his arms and legs had brown stripes on them. His head was a giant hand with orange flesh and eyes on the palm, his regular hands themselves having single eyeballs on their palms along with razor sharp claws that represented fingers. Covering his chest area was a long grey rock with a smaller one covering his privates.

Machoke still felt intimidated by this guy as he took a good long look at Machoke before saying, "I had hoped I would one day get the chance to face you. I can't help but feel fortunate," Machoke now trembling as Aipom took a deep breath, saying, "Remember, this is a tournament for heroes," the boy nodding and replying, "Right."

Tensions rose as the match was finally about to begin. Could Machoke beat this opponent?


	42. Chapter 42

Barbaracle glared at Machoke, a murderous look in his eyes. But why? Sure, he was serious about the match, but it seemed like there was something else going on.

Machoke trembled and thought, 'Good God, I wish he'd stop looking at me like that. He's scary enough as he is,' Aipom stroking her chin while saying, "There's something about this guy that rubs me the wrong way, but I don't know what it is."

With that, the bell rang as Barbaracle took a deep breath, unfolding his arms as his top four were pointed straight up int he air, his bottom four more like normal arms. A look of determination was in his eyes as he said, "I've been waiting for this."

With that, the creature wasted no time running toward Machoke. However, the boy seemed ready as he immediately sent a kick toward Barbaracle's midsection. This of course made sense as that was one of the spots not covered by the two big rocks.

However, Barbaracle easily countered this as he sent his lower arms inward, grabbing Machoke's ankle as the boy panicked, the creature saying, "What an obvious tactic. At least Scyther was more creative with her kicks," before sending his top arms toward, scratching Machoke's shoulders as he cried out in pain.

The boy's ankle was still stuck as Barbaracle stated, "I could simply twist your ankle right now, but I want to enjoy this moment," everyone really confused, the Greek fans still applauding him regardless. It did not sound like Barbaracle wanted to win the Olympics so much as it sounded like he had a score to settle.

Whatever the case was, he certainly would not let Machoke got as he proceeded to use his top arms to punch Machoke repeatedly in the face. Aipom gritted her teeth before shouting, "MACHOKE, YOU CAN STILL MOVE YOUR ARMS!" the boy nodding before holding them up, blocking two incoming punches before grabbing hold of the creature's wrists.

"You made a big mistake letting me remain this close to you," Machoke said with a smirk before using his one free foot to propel himself high above the mat. He then proceeded to lean backwards, Barbaracle's eyes wide with shock as the boy aimed his head toward the canvas.

"ALRIGHT, MACHOKE!" Blaziken exclaimed, "That's what I'm talking about!" but just as it seemed the boy was finally going to get the advantage, all went silent when Barbaracle's head opened up just like an actual hand, the creature leaning it back as it made contact with the mat. However, since his palm had ended up hitting the mat instead of the distal phalanx, Barbaracle had taken in no pain whatsoever.

Machoke's eyes widened as the creature released his hold on his foot, wrapping his arms around the boy's sides before lifting him up and sending him downward, slamming his head hard into the canvas. The Greek fans went wild as Machoke quickly sprang back up, rubbing his head, his eyes wide with terror. The match had barely started and he had already taken in a horrible beating while his opponent remained unharmed.

"Barbaracle is really showing just how strong he is," Nori stated, "Machoke has tried two moves that really should have worked and yet Barbaracle has managed to counter both of them while unleashing a great deal of pain."

"In hindsight, I should have expected something like that," Blaziken said, the others staring at her as she added, "At first I thought maybe his head just happened to look like a hand, but it seems that it is an actual hand and functions like one too. It's gonna be difficult for Machoke to deal damage to that spot, that's for sure."

"And to make matters worse, Barbaracle has four more hands," Reika replied, "and we've already seen how useful those are to him. It's just like the announcer said, he's barely shown us any of his techniques and already he's a major threat."

"You don't look so good, Machoke," Barbaracle said, "I'd heard you were the son of Machamp. Guess I heard wrong," the boy gritting his teeth and remarking, "Shut up! This has only just started!" the boy actually feeling terrified right now.

However, a light bulb suddenly went off in his head as he rushed toward the creature, Gallade asking, "Is that really such a smart move?" Gardevoir biting her lip and whimpering, "I hope so."

Just as Machoke got close to Barbaracle, the creature was just about to send his arms out when Machoke dodged to the right. His plan was to send a kick to the creature's midsection from behind. However, when he got to that very spot, Barbaracle's top hands simply turned around, staring right at him with the eyeballs on their palms.

Machoke was in panic when Barbaracle had them both grab him by the shoulders, the creature leaping into the air before throwing the boy over his own shoulders so now he was upside down. Barbaracle then proceeded to wrap his lower arms and his legs around Machoke's torso and head, shouting, "HARPOON DRIVER!" sending the boy's head hard into the canvas.

Beedrill's eyes were wide with shock as he said, "Damn, that guy's tough," Weedle all the while thinking, 'Yes, I had a feeling Barbaracle could defeat Machoke with ease. Not only is he really tough, but he has a grudge against that idiot's family that's been going on since before he was even born.'

Nori simply stared and said, "And with very little effort, Barbaracle has already managed to take Machoke down!" everyone in absolute shock as Gallade uttered, "It can't be true, can it?" but it certainly seemed so as Machoke was not moving an inch. His eyes were stuck wide open, his jaw dropped as his body just lay there.

"Damn, once again, Barbaracle has surprised me," Blaziken grunted, "I thought maybe those eyes on his hands were just for show but it seems they're real eyes. This guy has just about everything going in his favour and he hasn't even made use of those rocks of his."

"But it can't be over yet," Reika remarked, "Seriously, Machoke has dealt with far worse pain over the past. This is nothing," Scyther nodding and getting up, shouting, "COME ON, MACHOKE! GET UP! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU TO LOSE THIS EASILY!"

Weedle then noticed no one had started the count as he nudged Beedrill, the wasp blinking and saying, "Right," but just as he was about to start the countdown, it seemed Scyther's words had reached Machoke as his eyes widened, the boy quickly getting back up while the Japanese fans cheered wildly, one of them shouting, "Wow, all that pain and he's still going!" another exclaiming, "Machoke's awesome!"

Machoke smiled weakly and waved to the crowd as Barbaracle grunted, "Just as smug as your father was. It figures," Aipom blinking and asking, "Wait, what?" Machoke blinking and asking, "Wait, most heroes tend to call him brave and amazing. You sound like you actually know something different," the creature nodding and remarking, "That's cause I do! My mother told me everything about him on her death bed!"

Everyone stared in confusion as Aipom tilted her head, Machoke asking, "Any idea what he's talking about?" the monkey shrugging and replying, "I have no idea. There's no one Machamp faced in the past that he resembles in the slightest, especially none of the females he fought."

Barbaracle simply shook his head and sighed, "Well, it is true that I don't really look that much like my mom, but yes, Machamp did indeed face her in the twenty-second Hero Olympics!" all going silent as Machoke stated, "Hold on, Aipom, do you know who my dad's opponents were in that one?"

Aipom nodded and replied, "Let's see, in the first round he fought Ekans. His second opponent was Graveler. His third opponent was Corsola and his final opponent was Registeel."

"Yes, the third one was my mother!" Barbaracle exclaimed, everyone gasping as Nori stated, "It seems there's more to this match than meets the eye as Barbaracle is the son of Machamp's third opponent in the twenty-second Hero Olympics! Could this match be about revenge!?"

"That's exactly what this is about!" Barbaracle remarked, "This is why I wanted to fight you of all opponents, Machoke! You father humiliated my mother when they fought!"

Everyone was now paying full attention to what he had to say as he added, "It was a truly intense match, one for the ages! Mom was dominating your dad, hitting him with everything she had! However, Machamp ruined everything when he managed to use her own corals against her! All it took was one hit to put her out of commission, the most humiliating loss in the history of the Hero Olympics! Her dying wish was for me to defeat her son and avenge her loss!"

Everyone stared in shock as Machoke's eyes widened, the boy barking, "WAIT, ARE YOU SAYING MY DAD KILLED YOUR MOM!?" Barbaracle blinking before remarking, "No! Though now that you mention it, I did kind of make it sound like that, didn't I?" Machoke face-palming before remarking, "That's putting it lightly."

"Oh no, she died the day Beedrill announced the Hero Olympics," Barbaracle explained, "See, she had been swimming that day when someone dumped acid in the water," everyone in absolute shock as the creature added, "But even so, I swore that I would defeat you and I plan on keeping my promise! No matter what, I will not rest until you fall to my hands, all five of them!"

Sure, that threat was kind of lame, but Machoke was still terrified out of his mind. Not only was Barbaracle extremely powerful, but he was out for revenge. How could the boy possibly stand up to someone with that kind of determination and power all at the same time?

"Hey, Machoke, what are you doing!?" came a familiar voice as the boy's eyes widened, darting back and forth as many others were looking for the source, the voice adding, "I'M RIGHT HERE!"

Machoke turned and noticed a man standing near the main entrance to the area, but this was not ordinary man. It was the deformed man he had earned sixteenth place in the three-legged race with, but what was he doing here?

"Hey!" Machoke exclaimed, waving at him as Barbaracle rose an eyebrow. Had everyone just forgotten about him? It seemed so as the boy added, "I thought I'd never see you again! How are you doing!?"

"I've been doing a lot better since that race!" the man exclaimed, "I never knew I could be capable of running so fast! Now I run everywhere!" Reika uttering, "Who is that again?" Gardevoir replying, "That's the guy Machoke raced with," Gallade nodding and replying, "Oh yeah."

"So why are you here right now?" Machoke asked as the man replied, "Well, I'm the owner of this aquarium," all going silent as Weedle nodded and replied, "It's true. He was the one who agreed to let us use the pool for our match," the man adding, "Oh, and because I never got a chance to introduce myself before, my name is Enkai Mizu!"

Machoke took a while to realize that was Japanese for 'ocean water' but figured it must have been a coincidence. Either way, it certainly explained why he was there.

"It was nice seeing you, but I have a match to get to," Machoke stated as Barbaracle nodded, replying, "Yes, thank you for remembering," the rest of the crowd feeling bad as they had actually temporarily forgotten about it, Aipom sighing, "Really, guys?"

"That's why I got your attention," Enkai replied, "because I have a tip that might help you," Barbaracle remarking, "Hey, he's not a second!" Beedrill shrugging his shoulders and replying, "True, but audience members are free to do what they want as long as they don't step into the ring," Enkai adding, "As the owner of this aquarium, I know something you can use to take advantage of Barbaracle."

Machoke's eyes sparkled as he asked, "What is it?" Aipom wondering the same thing as the Enkai replied, "I don't want it to be too obvious for Barbaracle, so I'll give you a hint. It's currently dominating the fighting area."

Aipom blinked, her eyes widening as she squeaked, "That's right, the water!" Machoke nodding and smirking before saying, "Yeah, and I know exactly how to use it against him too," Barbaracle letting out a sigh and remarking, "You're full of hot air! The only way to use the water here against me is to send me out of the ring, and if you haven't noticed yet, I have a countermeasure for every single on of your moves!"

"He's got a point," Reika uttered, Scyther folding her arms and replying, "Don't worry, Reika. He's got an idea, I can tell," Gardevoir nodding with a light smile and adding, "It's simple but it just might work."

Everyone was rather shocked as the boy turned tail and fled toward the side of the ring, Barbaracle blinking and growling, "Oh no, you're not running away!" the creature charging toward him as the boy stopped at the edge and knelt down, ducking his upper body under the bottom rope.

"You won't escape!" Barbaracle spat before grabbing onto the boy's ankles. But just as he pulled Machoke up, water flew from the boy's hands and right into Barbaracle's regular eyes, said parts going wide as he cried out in agony, releasing Machoke and flailing his arms around.

Machoke wasted no time in scooping up more water from the pool and flinging it into the eyes of the hands, Barbaracle now trying his best to see through it but finding it hard, the creature closing all six of them. Enkai simply gave Machoke thumbs up with a big smile on his face, the boy running over to his opponent and sending a roundhouse to his midsection.

Barbaracle winced in pain as that one kick had actually dealt a great deal of pain, the creature taking in another kick before sending his arms forward only for Machoke to get behind him and deliver another one. The Japanese fans along with Machoke's friends were going wild as things were finally looking up.

'I knew it,' Machoke thought with a grin, 'Barbaracle's torso is so skinny, I figured there couldn't have been much muscle there, so even something as simple as a kick would deal as much damage as a Suplex would to any other opponent.'

Barbaracle was starting to get his eyesight back, but his eyes were beet red with tears running down them as he spat, "HEY, CHAIRMAN, ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS IS LEGAL TOO!?" Beedrill nodding and replying, "It's not a weapon nor is it the rope, so yes, this is perfectly acceptable," Weedle sighing, "And he's not lying either."

After a couple more kicks, Machoke said, "Alright, time to end this," the boy grabbing hold of Barbaracle's upper rock and shoving it forward, forcing his opponent's face toward the turnbuckle.

However, everyone gasped when he simply tilted his head to the side, opening it up like a regular hand again and grabbing onto the turnbuckle with it. Once again, he had used his palm to avoid taking in damage and it certainly did not end there as he sent his feet back, hitting Machoke hard in the gut and sending him flying halfway across the ring.

The Greek fans looked relieved as Barbaracle rubbed all six of his eyes, finally managing to dry them off as he took a deep breath, grunting, "I'm not gonna lie, Machoke, that was very clever, but it's not enough to defeat me."

"Oh no, he was so close!" Gardevoir whimpered as Reika took a deep breath, saying, "I hate to admit it, but I'm not seeing a lot of other options here. Barbaracle's been impossible to hit with his eyesight in check up to this point."

Aipom seemed to agree as she exclaimed, "DON'T WASTE TIME, MACHOKE, BLIND HIM AGAIN!" the boy nodding and sprinting toward the pool and scooping up more water, once again flinging it toward Barbaracle's eyes while using his hands like a shovel.

However, the creature was ready this time as he clenched all of his fists, even the one on his head, the water hitting those instead. Machoke's eyes widened as Barbaracle opened his hands up again before asking, "Do you think I'm stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice? Let's face it, your ultimate solution is gone now!"

"And just as Machoke had hit a breakthrough," Nori stated, "his advantage is once again gone. Can he possibly find a way to defeat Barbaracle now?"

Machoke turned to Enkai with hope in his eyes as the man shrugged, saying, "Sorry, that was all I could come up with," Machoke groaned and hanging his head, Aipom tapping her chin and saying, "I've been studying his attack patterns this whole time and I still haven't found any other way of exploiting all those eyes of his. You could try poking them, but I don't think Barbaracle would allow you to get more than the eyes on his head."

The boy let out a sigh and groaned, "I figured as much," Barbaracle running toward him and shouting, "I'm not gonna let you come up with another plan! After that last stunt you pulled, I'm mad!"

Machoke tried to dodge only for the creature to swing two arms to the side, striking Machoke's side and causing him to spin thus getting dizzy. After that, Barbaracle proceeded to standing on his tip-toes, tucking his arms in and spinning around shouting, "STONE EDGE!" the move's name being rather appropriate as he sent the edges of his rocks right into the boy, scraping him as he coughed up blood, flying toward the ropes and bouncing off of them, taking in another strike from Barbaracle's stones.

The Greek fans were going wild as Aipom bit her lip, wondering what the boy could possibly do to get around this. No one else was sure what to do, Enkai wishing he could come up with another strategy as Barbaracle proceeded to charged toward Machoke, his head lowered and clenched into a fist while he used his hand eyes to make sure Machoke stayed in place.

"SKULL PUNCH!" Barbaracle spat as he sent his skull or rather knuckles hard into Machoke's chest, the boy coughing up a bit more blood. This seemed to do a great deal of damage as now the boy felt too weak to fight back.

Barbaracle took full advantage of this as he lifted the boy up with his top hands saying, "You did manage to put up an okay fight, but you were still a disappointment," leaning his head back and opening it up before placing Machoke's back against his palm, using his head to spin Machoke like pizza dough and shouting, "PIZZA DOUGH TOSS!"

All went silent as Barbaracle hurled Machoke into the wall, the boy sliding down the side and into the water, the boy too weak to stay afloat as he was soon submerged, all going silent. The Greek fans of course broke the silence with heavy cheering as Barbaracle folded his arms, certain he had won.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Gardevoir said with a smile, "Machoke can just swim out," Blaziken laughing nervously and replying, "I hate to break it to you, but the members of the Mach family aren't good swimmers," Gardevoir gasping in terror, Scyther gritting her teeth and saying, "Now it makes sense. Weedle chose this location in the hopes that he would drown."

However, this was proven wrong as Beedrill explained, "Worry not about Machoke's health, folks, for we have lifeguards ready to save him when he stops blowing bubbles," Gallade saying, "Well, that still counts as a loss anyway, so your theory is still sound to a degree."

Aipom all the while was staring in absolute horror. She wished she could go down and save her pupil right now, but she knew that if she did that, Machoke would still be disqualified.

All the while, Machoke was doing his best to keep breathing, his eyes wide as he covered his mouth. However, he then noticed an octopus swim by his head, the boy staring in confusion before noticing even more sea creatures. He had assumed all of the sea life was being kept in tanks seeing as the pool was usually reserved for shows involving seals and dolphins. But as unexpected as this was, it gave him an idea.

Everyone watched in silence while bubbles rose from the pool, Nori saying, "I've heard members of the Mach family are not particularly good at swimming, but Machoke is doing a descent job holding his breath," Enkai all the while thinking, 'I should have never let them use my pool for this. I hope he's not suffering.'

All the while, Barbaracle simply implied smirking as he thought, 'It doesn't matter how long Machoke holds his breath. There's no way he'll be able to return to the surface. You've been avenged, Mother.'

However, one members of the audience stared wide-eyed when he noticed the bubbles getting bigger, pointing and shouting, "EVERYONE, LOOK!" the crowd staring as Aipom asked, "Did he actually manage to get to the surface?"

Barbaracle's eyes widened as he shook his head, uttering, "No, it can't be. Tell me it's not true."

Soon, all became clear as Machoke rose up with five octopi pulling up on his shoulders and head, a school of fish acting as a raft for him to stand on as the boy smirked, saying, "You won't take me down so easily!" Weedle's eyes widening as he spat, "Wait, what is sea life doing in pool water!?" Enkai smiling and replying, "Well, it always looks like they're suffering inside of their tanks, so I let them swim around in the pool when the dolphins and seals aren't in them."

Enkai then waved at the creatures and exclaimed, "Thanks for helping out my new friend!" Machoke blinking while thinking, 'So that's why they were so cooperative,' the crowd going wild as Blaziken sighed, "Good old Machoke. Only he could pull off a miracle like this," Reika exclaiming, "ALRIGHT, NOW GET IN THERE AND FIGHT!"

"Actually, he doesn't need to rush," Beedrill replied, "The rules for the pool matches are that a ring-out only counts as a loss if the fighter is unable to surface. If he's above water, it doesn't matter too much," Machoke replying, "That's good to know, but I have no intention of staying out the ring any longer," the boy then asking, "Say, Weedle, you said animals are allowed to do whatever they want during a match, even if they decide to enter the ring, right?"

"Yes," Weedle replied with a look of discontent before muttering, "I'm just amazed you actually remembered that."

With that in mind, Machoke grinned at the octopi, all five nodding as the boy hurled each one at one of Barbaracle's hands. Each one of them latched onto a hand, wrapping its tentacles around it to prevent the creature from opening them, including his head.

With that, Machoke knew Barbaracle could no longer counter head blows as he leapt onto the rope, bouncing off of it and performing a vertical flip toward the creature's skull, planting his foot hard into it while the Japanese fans and his friends went wild. The boy did not let it end there as he proceeded to punch the back of Barbaracle's head before wrapping his arms around his waist and lifting him up, leaning backward and planting his head hard into the mat.

The Japanese fans were still cheering as Nori stated, "Once again, Machoke takes the advantage with another odd strategy! How is Barbaracle going to get out of this!?"

"Are you kidding!?" the creature retorted, "This is even easier to figure out than the last stunt you pulled!" Barbaracle slowly but surely prying the octopi off of him and hurling them back into the pool, Enkai's eyes widening as he spat, "Did he hurt you!?" the octopi implying thumbs up the best they could with tentacles.

With that, Barbaracle glared at Machoke and grunted, "Alright, now that that's taken care of, it's finally time for me to-" only to go silent as he found himself unable to open his arms without feeling really uncomfortable, and it made perfect sense. His hands had been touching sea creatures, so naturally they were feeling sticky.

"Oh god, this is disgusting," he uttered before running toward the pool shouting, "I NEED TO WASH THIS OFF!" diving in as everyone stared, Reika saying, "So he's conscious about cleanliness. Makes sense."

However, all went silent as one Greek fan shouted, "OH NO, BARBARACLE CAN'T SWIM EITHER!" the rest of the fanbase in panic as Weedle asked, "Is this true?" Beedrill shrugging as Nori replied, "It would seem that Barbaracle's rocks have made him too heavy to swim!"

"But that makes no sense!" Weedle exclaimed, his eyes wide with terror, "He's part water type, just like his mother!" Beedrill remarking, "Again, don't look at me! I didn't know about this!"

However, just as the lifeguards were ready to save him from drowning, Machoke gritted his teeth and turned to the octopi, nodding at them as they gave an army salute, diving under the water as soon enough, Barbaracle was pulled to safety. Of course, the octopi had received help not only from others from their family but many other sea creatures, Barbaracle panting heavily as he quickly climbed back into the ring.

"Just as Machoke had a chance at claiming victory, he just had the sea creatures save his opponent's life!" Nori exclaimed as everyone in the audience was confused, Reika asking, "Why would he do that?" the others equally confused, all except for Aipom who was unsure of whether or not to commend him for this.

"Man, that was really careless of me," Barbaracle groaned, "I really should have known better," before looking at Machoke and asking, "But yeah, why would you save me?" Machoke taking a deep breath and replying, "Because, honestly, I would feel terrible winning in such a matter. If I am to win this match, I want it to be through traditional means, not because of a ring-out."

Barbaracle's eyes sparkled as he slowly got up, saying, "I have to say, you're a good guy Machoke," before his eyes implied a smile as he added, "I don't hate you anymore. You really are a true hero," the crowd applauding this as Nori let down tears, sniffing, "What a heartwarming scene, two bitter rivals now friends!"

"So wait, are you giving up?" Machoke asked as Barbaracle remarked, "Are you kidding!? I may not have a grudge against you anymore, but I still have a country to represent!" the boy groaning, "I should have figured as much."

With that, Barbaracle rushed at Machoke as the boy noticed all that water had not exactly cleaned Barbaracle as he was still hesitant to open up his palms. The boy saw a perfect opportunity here as he waited for Barbaracle to get just close enough.

Once that happened, Machoke ducked down and wrapped his arms around Barbaracle's midsection, the creature's eyes widening as the boy leapt high above the mat, flipping him over and spreading his arms out, locking them in place and wrapping his legs around his neck. However, this time he lowered his ankles enough to grab hold of Barbaracle's fingers, the creature's eyes widening.

The crowd went wild as Machoke spat, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" sending Barbaracle's skull hard into the mat, the creature's eyes wide open as he collapsed, now out cold as the bell was rung.

"And the winner of the third match of the Hero Olympics is Machoke!" Beedrill exclaimed while everyone cheered, all except for the Greek fans. However, while they may not have been cheering, they were not exactly upset either. If anything, they were just grateful that Machoke had selflessly saved the life of their representative and given him a chance to keep fighting.

Weedle let out a sigh and tried not to show his irritation again as Machoke walked over to Barbaracle, asking, "Hey, you okay?" the creature still conscious as he nodded, saying, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I may have lost to you, but I'm sure my mother will forgive me for this," the boy smiling as Reika took a deep breath, saying, "He just has a knack for this, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Gardevoir replied with a soft smile, "He's a true friend."


	43. Chapter 43

With Machoke's match out of the way, Barbaracle was taken out of the ring by the staff, although luckily, he had not been too badly hurt so he would not need to be sent to the hospital. After all, Machoke saw no need to be rough on someone with a good heart.

Even the Greek fans has gained respect for the boy as he shifted to becoming regular audience members, knowing they would now have to switch with the next group. After all, Weedle still preferred to have fans not start fights with each other over which teams they supported, and lord knew how aggressive sports fans, especially fight fans could get.

Machoke headed back to his seat, feeling a little weak after taking in such a harsh beating during his match, Aipom smiling and saying, "You were great! I'm so proud of you!" Machoke taking a deep breath and replying, "Well, I did have quite a bit of help."

And of course he was not being humble. Just like in the three-legged race, he needed to thank Enkai for his help. And luckily he had a chance now as Enkai had decided to step right up to his spot in the crowd, smiling at him, the boy actually having gotten used to his face long ago. It was less disturbing after enough time.

With that, Beedrill held the mic and exclaimed, "Well, that was certainly an exciting match full of many unexpected twists and turns, but we still have another match to go before we change locations yet again! Like before, these two get five minutes to prepare themselves."

At that very moment, both Golduck and Houndoom got up from their seats to prepare themselves. Both of them certainly looked rather intimidating and both felt it was more than coincidence that they had ended up facing each other, especially with them both representing the exact opposite element.

Golduck was not an ordinary duck. She had four spikes on the back of her head and a small red gem on her forehead. Her hands and feet were webbed and had claws on the ends of them. She also had a long tail and blood red eyes.

Houndoom was no ordinary canine either. The fur covering most of his body was the colour of ash save for his muzzle and belly, which were dark-orange. On his throat he wore a skull pendant attached to a bone necklace, similar bones going down his back. He also had two long curved horns on his head and two grey bracelets on his ankles and wrists. Finally, he had a long skinny tail with a spear-like formation on the end of it, very much like what people imagined the devil's tail looked like.

"They look really focused," Machoke uttered as Aipom nodded, saying, "You'd better pay close attention. You're gonna be fighting one of those two in the next round," the boy groaning, "Thanks for reminding me."

After five minutes, it was time for the match to start as the fans were ready, Beedrill exclaiming, "Alright, folks, it's time for the forth match to commence! Take it away, Nori!"

The woman nodded and exclaimed, "In the red corner, hailing from Ireland, a ferocious duck with incredible speed and strength, Golduck!" the Irish fans cheering. However, their cheers died down when no one showed up, all going silent until Beedrill asked, "Where is Golduck?"

Weedle looked around and said, "Please tell me she didn't duck out," everyone staring at him as the caterpillar broke out into hysterics, exclaiming, "Hey, I made a funny!" everyone face-palming as Machoke groaned, "And he has the balls to call me an embarrassment."

However, all became clear with a brilliant red light shone in the pool, a big burst of water rising up with Golduck standing on top of it, a serious look in her eyes. The Irish fans were back to cheering as the duck leapt off of the geyser she had created and landed hard against the mat, striking a pose with a smirk on her face.

"How did she do that?" Gallade asked, Blaziken replying, "I've heard that gem on her head has magical qualities. I guess it's true."

Nori then proceeded to exclaim, "And in the blue corner, coming to us from Romania, a wolf with a fiery passion for blood, Houndoom!" the Romanian fans going wild as the wolf sprinted toward the ring, a fierce look in his eyes as he proceeded to perform a series of somersaults toward the ring. Once close enough, he propelled himself high into the air, flipping himself over and landing firmly against the canvas, holding out his arm and waving it toward himself shouting, "SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!"

"Damn, that guy means business!" Machoke spat, trembling all over. Sure, he may not have been facing either of the two right now, but they still had an intimidating air to them. And again, there was also the fact that he would have to face one of those two in the next round.

The two fighters stared each other down until Nori rang the bell, signalling the start of the match as the two charged at one-another. Both fighters started sending punches at one-another, Houndoom using his fists while Golduck used her palms. However, both also managed to dodge each other while throwing their attacks.

After a few seconds, though, Golduck saw an opening as she smirked and sent a hard palm punch into Houndoom's chest, the wolf's eyes widening as he winced. However, he refused to let the pain get to him as he simply grabbed the duck's wrist, a smirk on his face.

"Did you honestly think you could just get away with that?" the wolf asked before lashing out his fangs as they caught flame, sinking them into Golduck's shoulder after shouting, "FIRE FANG!"

Golduck's eyes widened as she cried out in pain, the Romanian fans going wild as Nori said, "What an intense start to the match. Golduck managed to catch Houndoom off guard but the fiery canine fought back with an even more powerful technique!"

However, the crowd was shocked to see the duck ignore the pain as she put on a more serious look, placing her hands firmly against Houndoom's head while his teeth were still in her shoulder. The wolf's eyes widening as she lifted him up so his feet were facing the sky. With that, the duck leaned back and slammed his back hard against the mat, the Irish fans going wild as Golduck got up, taking a deep breath.

However, much to her shock, Houndoom did not look too badly hurt by her move. The reason became clear when the wolf licked some of her blood off of his face, saying, "Not bad. A little fishy, but there is a hint of sweetness to it."

All went silent as Machoke pointed, shouting, "OH MY GOD, HOUNDOOM'S A VAMPIRE!" Aipom smacking the back of his head, retorting, "No he isn't! Fire Fang was just one of his attacks," Houndoom shocking everyone when he replied, "Actually, Aipom, he's right."

Everyone stared in shock as the wolf added, "Well, I'm only half-vampire on my mother's side," everyone now confused as Golduck rubbed her shoulder, asking, "So, wait, are you saying my blood healed you?" the wolf nodding and replying, "Yeah, but don't worry, I have no intention of killing a fellow hero. I just take what I need."

Beedrill turned to Weedle and asked, "Did you know about this, Dad?" the caterpillar nodding and replying, "Yeah, it's quite an interesting tale. His father, Houndour, was once being hunted by some moron who thought he was a lycan. However, while trying to avoid this hunter, a beautiful young woman named Adriana walked into the area. Now, she was actually well-known around the area as a vampire, but she had always been a good one and had been accepted by society."

Beedrill nodded and said, "Go on," Weedle stating, "Well, let's just say this hunter was not as accepting as the other citizens. To him, any creature of the night was evil no matter what, so when he saw her standing there, he immediately pointed his crossbow at her. Houndour dashed in front of him, took the arrow to the chest and proceeded to beat the hunter senseless."

"Wow, that is so cool," Beedrill replied as Weedle added, "Well, the hunter learned his lesson when Adriana actually treated his wounds despite his attack, Houndour touched by her compassion. Adriana all the while was grateful for him coming to her rescue and the two fell in love."

Weedle had not realized he had been talking into Beedrill's microphone the whole time and soon noticed it when the audience was tearing up, Machoke sniffing, "That is so beautiful!" Reika nodding and replying, "Yeah, Houndoom's dad sounds like a sweet guy," Cici adding, "I would like to meet Adriana. She sounds nice, even if she is a vampire," Tsuya whistling and replying, "Damn, girl, I think you just got over one of your fears."

The girl then started panting like a puppy before exclaiming, "But enough about that! Houndoom's single and half-vampire, meaning he can walk around during the day! That is SO hot!" the others staring as Blaziken remarked, "Wow, you have issues."

"Well, half-vampire or not, you're not going to defeat me," Golduck said with a frown before dashing toward the wolf again. Houndoom simply prepared himself to counter only for the duck to leap high above his head and slap her tail hard against his face.

After that, she bound her ankles to his neck and leaned backward, placing her arms against his ankles with the smirk. The Irish fans were getting really excited now as Golduck flipped backward shouting, "ICE ROCK DRIVER!" slamming Houndoom's head into the mat.

However, this did not deal quite as much damage as she had hoped it would. Thanks to Houndoom's horns, the wolf was able to cushion the blow as he smirked, saying, "Nice try but that won't work," shifting his legs before freeing his ankles from Golduck's grip.

The duck's eyes widened as he proceeded to wrap his own ankles around her neck and free himself from her grip on his neck. With that, he proceeded to fling his legs back, hurling the duck out of the ring and into the pool. The Romanian fans went wild as he took a deep breath, grinning with pride.

However, the Irish fans did not look the least bit discouraged. Houndoom's look of pride soon turned into confusion as one of them said, "You're gonna get it now," another adding, "Yeah, you made a big mistake tossing her into the pool," the wolf confused by these words as Aipom thought, 'That's right, he wasn't here to see her using her power before the match, so he probably doesn't know about it.'

And this seemed true as the wolf was legitimately surprised to see a flash of red light coming up from the water. However, this time Golduck was floating out in a giant bubble with a smirk on her face, the duck exclaiming, "You really should have known better than that!"

'But how?' Houndoom thought before focusing on the gem on her forehead, the wolf thinking, 'Oh, of course,' Golduck then rushing at him and shouting, "AQUA JET!" the bubble becoming a stream of water by her own will, the duck slamming her head hard into the spellbound wolf's chest.

Golduck then proceeded to grab hold of him with the stream of water now attached to her back and connected to the pool water just outside of the ring. The duck smirked and said, "I should thank you. Not only did you let me use my power, but you just gave me a great idea," before leaning backward, lowering her arms so her hands were touching his feet and planting him against the stream of water.

The Irish fans went wild as Golduck spat, "WATERSLIDE!" sending Houndoom sliding out of the ring and into the water, the duck taking a deep breath as Tsuya spat, "HOUNDOOM!"

"Well, Beedrill, you best confirm my victory now!" Golduck exclaimed, "There's no way he's getting out of that!" Weedle sighing, "She has a good point. Fire types and water don't exactly mix well," Beedrill then shaking his head and replying, "There are very few exception, and Houndoom happens to be one of them. Don't forget, I was watching over the heroes while they crossed the swamp pond."

And it seemed his words were very much true as Houndoom's head emerged from under the surface, Golduck's wide and beak wide open as the wolf grinned, saying, "Hate to break it to you, but I'm actually a descent swimmer."

The Romanian fans cheered for him as Machoke uttered, "He's a fire type, isn't he?" Aipom nodding and replying, "I'm impressed you caught onto that, but some fire types can swim," Blaziken nodding and replying, "I can vouch for that," a chicken grinning with pride.

However, there was no way Golduck was going to accept this as she asked, "Hey, Beedrill, you said just being in the water didn't count as a ring-out, right?" the wasp nodding and replying, "Yes, I did say that," the duck smirking and replying, "Perfect," before running toward the side of the ring and diving into the water.

Once again, her gem glowed as she started shifting the water, Houndoom's eyes widening as she once again rammed hard into him with a watery shield. After that, the duck proceeded to form a spiral of water around her, sending her beak hard into his back like a drill. She then dove underwater again before rising up from underneath Houndoom, the wolf's eyes going wide as she flipped backward shouting, "AQUA JET SUPLEX!" slamming the area just behind his neck into the mat so his horns would not soften the blow again.

Golduck took a deep breath while the Irish fans went wild, the duck smirking and saying, "That oughta do it," her eyes widening when Houndoom rose back to his feet, saying, "Not bad, not bad at all, but I'm not gonna let that get me down!"

With that, the dog proceeded to go down on all fours saying, "Here's a move my dad taught me!" before leaping at her with fire surrounding his paws as he spat, "INFERNO POUNCE!" planting the paws hard into Golduck's gut and knocking her hard on her back as she cried out in pain. He would normally go for the chest but he wanted to at least avoid causing controversy.

As Golduck was down, Houndoom once again lashed out his fangs as they caught flame, shouting, "FIRE FANG!" and leaning toward for the duck again, only this time tilting his head to the side and going straight for her neck. But just as the attack was about to hit, Golduck quickly through her arms forward, placing her hands firmly against his mouth and keeping it from getting close, Houndoom's eyes wide with shock.

"Nice try, but I'm not letting you use my blood to heal you again!" Golduck grunted before sending her feet hard into the wolf's chest and sending him flying into the air. The Irish fans went wild as she leapt up off the mat, having been fast enough to get over the wolf and plant her knees into his back before shouting, "DUCK DRIVER!" sending his belly hard into the mat while holding onto his chin and ankles.

Everyone gasped when one of the bones on his back snapped in half as a result, Houndoom lying there as Beedrill started the countdown. Soon enough, ten was called as Beedrill exclaimed, "And the winner of the forth match of the Hero Olympics is Golduck!"

The Irish fans went wild as Machoke trembled, uttering, "Damn, she defeated a vampire! I don't wanna face someone that strong!" Golduck smirking at the boy and saying, "You're next," the boy getting shivers down his spine as Aipom sighed, "It's okay."

Reika nodded and added, "Yeah, the only reason Golduck won was because there was water surrounding this area, but I doubt Weedle can use the same location twice, so this is Houndoom's problem, not yours," Machoke nodding and replying, "Yeah, you got a point there."

The truth was Golduck was well aware of this fact herself but she still seemed very confident in her abilities. Could it still be possible for her to defeat Machoke even without water? That thought would certainly have to wait as it was time for another two-hour break, the next matches scheduled to take place in an arena that had recently been set up by the Hero Planet government in an originally empty spot.

Before this, though, Beedrill was getting ready to change locations when Gallade ran over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. The wasp turned and said, "Oh, Gallade, what's up?" the boy replying, "I was just wondering when round two is scheduled to start. Is it going to be tomorrow or some other day?" Beedrill replying, "I was going to reveal this after the final match, but after the trouble I caused you guys on Hero Planet, I guess I owe you some means of an apology, so this seems like a step in the right direction. It's three days from now."

"Thanks," Gallade replied with a smile before adding, "You know, I didn't completely buy this transformation of yours at first, but you're really serious about this," the boy taking off as Beedrill felt really happy hearing a statement like that.

All the while, the remaining participants were once again driven to their next. Machoke had almost ended up being taken in the run-down vehicle again when Gardevoir noticed Starmie was just as unhappy having to ride in there and convinced Scyther to trade places. Though in the end, she did not need to ask as Scyther did not care either way what mode of transportation she took. She knew Gardevoir needed some comfort before her big match and Machoke seemed to have a knack for lightening up her days.

"This is my first match in the Hero Olympics," Gardevoir said while the two rode together, "I want my entrance to be really special," Machoke nodding and replying, "Alright, I got just the thing," Gardevoir shaking her head and replying, "Actually, I have an idea of my own. I just want you to help set it up since you're so good at it."

The boy was about to protest when he noticed a small smile on Gardevoir's face, the boy nodding with a warm smile of his own and replying, "I'm happy to be of service either way," the girl squealing happily before pulling out a diagram she had drawn for her entrance, Machoke knowing he could indeed pull this off.

All the while, Gallade was walking toward the ring with Hitmonchan by his side, the boy asking, "So, where have you been since the end of the race?" the girl replying, "The others wanted to check out some of the sights in Tokyo and since we haven't bonded as a family in quite some time, I couldn't pass up such a chance," Gallade nodding and replying, "You're a great sister."

Hitmonchan blushed brightly as Gallade added, "By the way, apparently the next round of the Olympics is in three days," Hitmonchan's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "YAY, WE GOT TIME FOR A DATE!" giving the boy a hug and adding, "Can't wait."

"By the way, my sister's match is coming up," Gallade stated, "Are you gonna cheer for her with me?" Hitmonchan nodding and replying, "Yeah, I'm free now."

After a while, it was almost time for the matches to begin as Machoke had helped set up for Gardevoir's entrance, the girl saying, "Thanks so much for all your help," the boy nodding and replying, "No problem. I'm sure you'll be great out there," the girl smiling bright as the boy exited to join the crowd.

Gardevoir took a deep breath, resting her hand against her heart and thinking, 'Well, Mommy, this is it. I've made it this far and there's no way I'm backing down.'

The seats were once again full as Beedrill said, "After those first two locations, it feels odd to be hosting the next two matches in a normal location, eh?" Nori nodding and replying, "It certainly does, but this is still a relatively new area as it was just recently built!"

Hitmonchan and Gallade sat next to each other, getting excited as Cici and Reika hoped Tsuya did not notice. However, their worries subsided when they remembered she had a thing for wolf-vampires now.

Soon, all attention was brought to the ring when Nori exclaimed, "Welcome, one and all to the fifth match of the Hero Olympics! After a great first half, I'm sure you're all excited for the second!" the crowd going wild as the woman added, "So without further ado, it's time to introduce our fighters!"

The woman then pointed toward the Western entrance saying, "In the red corner, coming to us from France and having surprised the world with her amazing strength for someone so skinny, Gardevoir!" the French fans going wild until they noticed a big cake being wheeled into the area.

Everyone stared in confusion before the top of the cake came open, Gardevoir rising up from the top on a platform wearing a fancy dress. Despite this being an odd combination with her spiked collar, the crowd was still dazzled as confetti flew from the cake, which everyone now realized was fake, Machoke grinning as he knew the best was yet to come.

After that, Gardevoir leapt off the cake and into the ring before twirling and allowing her dress to drop revealing the jersey Machoke had given her underneath as a big grin formed on her face, the girl exclaiming, "ROSERADE IS GOING DOWN!" before performing air guitar while the crowd was not even sure how to react before noticing Hitmonchan and Gallade clapping, exclaiming, "YOU GO GIRL!"

The French fans then shrugged, figuring this was a pretty cool entrance before applauding the girl as well, Machoke giving her thumbs up as Aipom sighed, "You ruined a great entrance there," Machoke replying, "Don't look at me. This was all her idea," the monkey's eyes going wide.

Scrafty was also in the crowd with a smirk on his face as he thought, 'You're off to a great start, Gardevoir. The audience may not appreciate an entrance like that entirely, but I certainly can.'

Soon enough, the applause died down as Nori added, "And in the blue corner, representing Italy is someone who is just as fierce as she is gorgeous, Roserade!"

The Italian fans went wild as a girl with a body just like a flower stem entered the area. Her head was a big white rose with a green mask over her pink eyes. Her right hand was a red bouquet of flowers while her left hand was a blue one. He had a cape-like leaf formation hanging down her back and a yellow collar-like bangle around her neck.

Her entrance was quite stunning as well as she had hired a man in a helicopter to rain flower pedals down on her, the flower holding one hand against her hip and had her other arm pointed downward in an arch while strutting toward the ring and gracefully jumping onto it, performing a twirl in the air. The crowd was even more impressed save for Reika who saw this as showing off.

Roserade smiled and said, "I have been looking forward to face you, Gardevoir," her eyes closed as she added, "I've heard that like me, you are quite a vision of beauty yourself. It's time to see if this is true," the flower opening her eyes before noticing her opponent wearing a jersey and a spiked collar, her eyes wide open as Gardevoir tilted her head to the side, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Ugh, that's so wrong!" Roserade exclaimed, "I admit, your face and body structure are quite gorgeous, but that outfit and that collar completely ruin it!" Gardevoir shrugging and replying with a soft smile, "I don't care. I like wearing these clothes."

"Yeah, tell it like it is!" Hitmonchan spat, "Don't let society decide things for you!" Gallade whistling in admiration, saying, "You put that a lot better than I would have," Machoke adding, "I THINK YOU LOOK GREAT IN THOSE CLOTHES ANYWAY, GARDEVOIR!" Reika nodding, actually agreeing with the boy. Strangely enough, this look did work for Gardevoir.

Roserade simply let out a sigh and shook her head, saying, "Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter too much. What's important is that we have a match right now," Beedrill nodding and turning to Nori who nodded back, ringing the bell.


	44. Chapter 44

Gardevoir and Roserade's match had now started as Gardevoir held up a defensive stance. However, while she looked poised to counter whatever came her way, her opponent simply had a natural look to her. In a way, it was actually rather intimidating.

Either way, the girl would not allow this to get to her. She had a feeling that the flower was simply trying to fool her into rushing at her only to take in some kind of counterattack. But if Roserade did not attack, the two would simply end up staring at each other for a long time with nothing progressing.

"Gardevoir is smart to be on the defensive, but it doesn't mean much if Roserade doesn't attack," Blaziken said as Hitmonchan shrugged, replying, "If you ask me, a good offence is the best defence. She should just rush her."

And it was not long until the French fans started to agree, one of them shouting, "WHAT THE HELL, GARDEVOIR!? WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE!?" the girl's eyes going wide as another shouted, "We came to see a match, not a staring contest!" many others jeering her as she whimpered, Roserade smirking before the Italian fans started joining in, one of them adding, "At least that French punk is doing something! Roserade doesn't even seen to care!" the other Italian fans joining in.

"Geez, they really want some action," Machoke uttered as Aipom sighed, "Yeah, fight fans are like that. I'm just hoping Gardevoir doesn't cave in," Gallade biting his lip and hoping for the same thing.

However, while Gardevoir was feeling a little torn up about being booed by so many people like this especially when no one ever gave her treatment even close to this level before, Roserade was devastated to hear her fans responding to her strategy like this. She loved positive attention and to hear such backlash just about made her lose it as she snapped, "YOU FOOLS WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND AN INTELLIGENT STRATEGY IF IT BIT YOU IN THE FACE!"

The crowd went silent as Hitmonchan spat, "GARDEVOIR, SHE'S DISTRACTED NOW!" the girl nodding and charging toward the flower, sending her elbow hard into the back of her head as Nori stated, "And Gardevoir takes full advantage of Roserade's rage, knocking her flat on her face!" the French fans cheering as one of them shouted, "Sorry, Gardevoir, I shouldn't have said such a horrible thing!"

'How does Machoke deal with this so much?' Gardevoir thought as Roserade rose to her feet, taking a deep breath and saying, "You should have hit me harder than that," before swinging her red bouquet into the girl's face.

The French viewers along with Gardevoir's friends were rather confused as this actually dealt no damage whatsoever. It seemed Roserade's flower bouquets were just as strong as normal flowers. However, the Italian fans were now back on the flower's side as they knew she was trying something else entirely.

And this was soon made clear when Roserade released colourful fumes from her flowers, saying, "Sweet Scent," Gardevoir's eyes widening briefly before lowering into a heavenly look, Roserade moving her flowers away from her face as Machoke asked, "What's going on? I've never seen Gardevoir with a look like that before," Gallade replying, "I think I know what's going on and it's not good."

Roserade backed up as Gardevoir kept moving toward her, looking as though she had just been seduced. Her mind was telling her to snap out of it, but not even she could resist such an alluring smell.

After toying with her a bit, Roserade smirked and sent her knee hard into the girl's gut. Her eyes widened as Roserade planted her red bouquet into her face again, saying, "Sweet Scent," releasing the smell again thus distracting Gardevoir before sending her arm into the side of the girl's head.

The flower proceeded to use her technique again, striking Gardevoir as Gallade's eyes widened, the boy barking, "GARDEVOIR, STAY AWAY FROM THOSE FLOWERS! THEY PUT YOU UNDER A SPELL EVERY TIME YOU SMELL THEM!"

The girl's eyes widened as Roserade laughed, asking, "But if you try to avoid my flowers, you'll never hit me," Gardevoir then remembering something she was taught when she was little and by Gallade no less. His advice was that if she ever came close to something with a rancid smell, she should just remind herself that she did not have a nose.

As such, the girl put on a serious look and said to herself, "I have no nose," Roserade blinking and asking, "What are you babbling about now?" Gardevoir repeating the words, "I have no nose," to herself before raising her arm and getting close to Roserade.

The flower simply threw her red bouquet into her face again shouting, "SWEET SCENT!" only this time, Gardevoir completely ignored the smell and smacked Roserade hard in the cheek, the flower's eyes widening as she found herself too spellbound to react, Gardevoir hitting her with five more slaps before sending a palm punch to her chest, sending her flying into the turnbuckle.

The French fans along with her friends went wild as Gallade sighed, "I'd forgotten all about that," Hitmonchan asking, "Was that your idea?" Gallade nodding and replying, "It helps for us noseless types," the boxer squealing, "You're so smart!" giving the boy a hug.

Roserade finally snapped back to reality as she took a deep breath, saying, "I don't know how you managed to overcome that delightful smell! No one has ever been able to resist its sweetness, but that's okay because I have more up my sleeve."

With that, Roserade decided that being on the defensive had failed enough times as she sprinted toward Gardevoir, holding her arms back. When she was close enough, she threw her arms out and aiming them at Gardevoir's cheeks only for the girl to easily see this coming, raising her own arms and blocking them with ease.

However, Roserade smirked and said in an elegant tone, "Rose Bush," thorns now coming from her entire body including her arms and legs as Gardevoir's eyes widened, blood dripping from her arms as she quickly retracted them, Roserade smirking and ramming her arms into Gardevoir's cheeks, not only causing pain from the attack but also poking holes in her thanks to the thorns.

Machoke winced and uttered, "Oh god, that's terrible!" the others staring at him as he added, "I remember when I was a kid, I tried to pick a rose for Mom's birthday once but ended up being poked by its thorns. Before my training at Hero School started, that the worst pain I had ever felt!"

Reika took a deep breath and said, "Well, this certainly isn't good. Gardevoir's not very good when it comes to using her feet in combat, so she relies on her hands for most of her moves and that makes it difficult to hit Roserade in this state."

The Italian fans went wild as Nori stated, "And with that, Roserade is back on the offensive!" Roserade sending her arms and knees toward Gardevoir, the girl too scared to try and fight back as she ended up taking in a number of blows, Nori adding, "Gardevoir simply can't do a thing, but I can't blame her! I've touched rose stems before and they are beyond painful!"

Even the French fans could not help but feel for Gardevoir right now as she was now covered in holes, her body starting to feel weak. She saw another swing coming and backed up a bit before noticing one of Roserade's thorns grab the material of her jersey, her eyes widening as Roserade took a small chunk out of it, Machoke freaking out when he saw it getting damaged like that.

But what really got Gardevoir thinking was that the jersey had actually prevented her from taking in pain that time as Roserade had only gotten clothing, the flower saying, "I may as well destroy the whole thing. It might help your true beauty take form," but just as she was about to go for it, Gardevoir simply took a deep breath and said, "Don't bother, I'll remove it."

Everyone stared as Machoke asked, "Wait, she's just caving in?" Scyther asking, "How is this even important?" Gardevoir taking off her jersey before hurling it into Roserade's torso, now covering up her thorns as the girl sent another palm punch to the flower's chest, sending her flying into the ropes this time as she hit them hard, bouncing off and falling forward, landing flat on her face.

The crowd went wild as Gardevoir still took in a bit of pain from the thorns, but since they were being covered by her outfit, her hand did not start bleeding as a result. The French fans were going wild as Hitmonchan said, "Wow, I would have never thought of that," Aipom nodding and replying, "The best part is that clothing doesn't count as a weapon, so that stunt was perfectly legal."

However, just as Gardevoir's advantage had finally returned, Roserade recovered with ease and smirked, saying, "You think that alone would be enough to defeat me? You're even more foolish than I thought!" the flower then prying the shirt off with her arm and placing her other arm against it. After that, she proceeded to scrape her arms against the material, the jersey soon torn to shreds as Gardevoir bit her lip, trying not to let this get to her. After all, she knew this was likely to happen.

Machoke was not having such an easy time getting over this as he spat, "HEY, THAT WAS PRESENT FROM ME TO HER!" Roserade blinking and asking, "Oh, so that's why you held onto it for so long. I didn't realize it had such sentimental value, but even so, if any of my friends were to give me something like this, I'd tell them that it's gross and I don't want it."

Gardevoir frowned, Roserade looking at her and adding, "Now I just need to find a way to get that collar off of you," the girl gritting her teeth and squeaking in a rather threatening tone, "DON'T YOU DARE!" the girl charging at the flower and grabbing hold of her arms.

The crowd gasped as the thorns pierced the girl's hands, but she no longer cared as she now truly detested Roserade. Sure, the flower may have been a hero like her, but that did not give her an excuse to act so disrespectful and full of herself.

With that in mind, the girl leaned back, lifting Roserade up as the flower's eyes widened with shock, Gardevoir planting the back of her head hard against the mat. The crowd went wild as Gardevoir released her, taking a deep breath. Thanks to her new power, she could finally pull off something like that without being in a dire situation.

She did not let this opportunity leave her like she had the last one as she proceeded to leap into the air, planting her feet hard into Roserade's back. The French fans cheered wildly for her as Gallade's eyes were wide with shock, the boy uttering, "Wow, she's really growing up now," Hitmonchan nodding and adding, "Well, she also looks extremely angry," Blaziken saying, "Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen her actually get mad before."

Roserade got up only to receive a few slaps to the face. After a few good hits, Gardevoir sent a palm punch into her chin while squeaking, "PALM UPPERCUT!" the flower backing up and rubbing that very spot, Gardevoir uttering, "I just thought of a new signature move."

Roserade was now staring with her eyes wide open as she asked, "Geez, girl, is this all about the jersey!? Seriously, let it go!" Gardevoir retorting, "No!" a look of rage in her eyes, Machoke uttering, "Remind me never to get on her bad side," the girl adding, "This is about your whole attitude! What gives you the right to dictate how other people should look or how they should dress!? You may be a hero, but that doesn't give you the right to dictate people's lives! You act so full of yourself when, to be perfectly honest, you're not that pretty!"

The entire area was full of gasps now, Roserade clasping her bouquets over her mouth. She could not believe it. No one had ever told her such a thing before. People would often ask to take photos of her to which she always agreed. Lots of high-class rich boys had gone out with her while the lower-class citizens wished they could bring themselves to do so.

"You may be a rose on the outside, but on the inside, you're a weed!" Gardevoir exclaimed as Roserade gritted her teeth, her blood now boiling as she trembled in fury. As if being told she was not that pretty was bad enough, being called a weed was simply too far.

With that in mind, the flower took a deep breath and closed her eyes, a strange energy filling her blue bouquet as she stated, "My red bouquet is only capable of releasing a sweet aroma into my opponent's nostrils, but my blue bouquet has a completely different power all together. It is quite a boorish technique, so I prefer not to use it, but you have given me a reason."

Soon enough, the entire bouquet was covered in a bright orange sphere of energy as the flower exclaimed, "WEATHER BALL!" rushing at Gardevoir, the girl taking a hard punch to her chest, her eyes going wide as she was the one sent flying into the ropes. However, the hit had been so hard that it had sent her over the ropes, knocking her out of the ring.

All went silent as Gardevoir was still breathing, but she was having trouble moving as Beedrill started counting. If he reached twenty seconds, the girl would end up losing the match for sure as Roserade took a deep breath, noticing her blue flowers had been withered as a result of the attack. This was another part of the reason she hardly ever used the technique as it would be a whole twenty-four hours until her blue flowers regained their original colour, but she saw this as a good time to use it.

Everyone stared as Gallade spat, "GARDEVOIR, GET UP!" Hitmonchan adding, "COME ON, I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!" the others joining in as Machoke barked, "ARE YOU GOING TO LET HER GET AWAY WITH THAT!?"

The girl wanted so badly to get up right now but she was feeling incredibly weak as Beedrill had already counted to eight. Roserade simply folded her arms, a smug look on her face as she truly felt that she had won now.

"Once that countdown if over, I will ripe that collar of yours off of your scrawny little neck," the flower said as Gardevoir's eyes widened, the girl gritting her teeth as some of her strength had now returned. Beedrill was now up to fourteen as she slowly pushed herself up, the wasp just about to counter nineteen when the girl placed her hands firmly against the side of the ring, crawling back into it and taking many deep breaths.

The French fans went wild as Machoke took a deep breath, sighing, "Oh my god, that was terrifying," Gallade and Hitmonchan simply nodding in agreement, the two not saying a thing.

Roserade's eyes widened, the flower trembling was Gardevoir slowly moved toward her. Roserade simply grimaced and spat, "NO! I WON'T LET YOU WIN!" the flower rushing toward Gardevoir and sending a knee kick to her gut.

The girl simply ignored this and grabbed hold of her leg, twisting it as Roserade fell on her side. However, there was no way the flower would let victory out of her grasp as she proceeded to send a kick toward Gardevoir's shin only for the girl to lift her foot up in time to avoid it, stomping it down on Roserade's ankle.

The flower growled and threw her left hand shouting, "WEATHER BALL!" only to remember she had used up her energy for the day, her eyes widening as Gardevoir grabbed hold of her wrist, hurling her high into the air.

Everyone stared in amazement as the girl leapt up to Roserade's level, clutching onto her head and flipping her over before shouting, "METEOR BOMB!" her legs spread out and floating above her own head as she planted Roserade's head hard into the mat, the flower's eyes and mouth wide open.

With that, Gardevoir released her hold on her and took a deep breath, Beedrill starting the countdown before reaching ten, ringing the bell and exclaiming, "AND THE WINNER OF THE FIFTH MATCH OF THE HERO OLYMPICS IS GARDEVOIR!"

The French fans went wild as the Italian fans stared in absolute shock, Gallade taking a deep breath and saying, "I have to admit, I was a little scared back there," Aipom, Hitmonchan and Reika nodding.

Machoke on the other hand simply gave Gardevoir thumbs up as she noticed this, a bright smile on her face as she squealed happily, waving her arms in the air while jumping up and down. She could not believe how well she had been doing so far, not only making it to the fighting tournament but even advancing to the second round. She would have never imagined this happening if it had not been for Machoke's influence.

With all said and done, the girl looked down at Roserade, the flower too shocked to move right now as she was soon carried out of the ring. However, rather than looking at the flower with spite, she simply hoped Roserade would be okay. Sure, Gardevoir may not have liked her, but she was still a fellow hero and it would be a shame if she was out of commission.

Soon enough, the girl returned to the crowd as all of her friends patted her on the shoulder, Reika saying, "You were awesome, Gardevoir," Cici nodding and adding, "I wish I could be like that," Gardevoir smiling sweetly and replying, "I could give you some lessons sometime if you'd like."

Beedrill then took a deep breath and stated, "Well, with that out of the way, the next two fighters will have five minutes to prepare themselves!" Garchomp getting up from the crowd and turning her gaze toward Lairon who glared back at her.

Lairon certainly looked like a tough challenger for sure. He was a stocky dinosaur with a dark-grey torso made of steel. He also had silver armour that went along his back and connected to a helmet over his face, jagged spikes going down his backside. His eyeballs were blue but his pupils were black.

Both headed toward the training rooms to ready themselves as Aipom mainly focused on Garchomp. Sure, she may have been forced into helping the dragon, but she did hope that Garchomp was still grateful for her efforts. She hardly knew the dragon but a part of her was still hoping she would win.

And after five minutes passed, Beedrill held up his mic and exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's time for the sixth match of the Hero Olympics to begin!" the wasp pointing at Nori as the woman nodded, exclaiming, "In the red corner, hailing from Vietnam, a dinosaur made entirely out of metal and honing a strong spirit, Lairon!"

The Vietnamese crowd went wild as the dinosaur walked toward the ring with a big smile, waving to the crowd and exclaiming, "Thank you all for your support! You're a wonderful audience and I promise to wipe the floor with Garchomp for you guys!"

"Wow, he really likes his fans," Nori stated before adding, "And in the blue corner, coming to us from Russia, a ferocious dragon with a terrifying presence, Garchomp!"

The Russian fans cheered heavily as the dragon rushed into the area, leaping forward and planting her claws into the floor before propelling herself up into the ring, landing perfectly on her feet. Lairon simply rolled his eyes at this display as the dragon smirked.

Garchomp was unbelievably tall, one and half times Lairon's size. Even so, the dinosaur refused to let himself be intimidated as he had always been taught to be strong even in the worst of situations, and size hardly mattered to him anyway.

After the two stared each other down for a while, Nori rang the bell thus signalling the start of the match.


	45. Chapter 45

With the match started, Garchomp and Lairon wasted no time charging at one-another. Already the Russian dragon seemed to be at an advantage as she was a lot faster, holding up an arm and aiming for Lairon's neck.

Unfortunately for her, the dinosaur was a lot more of a strategist than one would guess from first glance. As such, he easily ducked under the incoming arm when it got close and rammed his body hard into Garchomp's chest, the dragon's eyes widening as she was knocked on her back.

Luckily, Garchomp's fin stopped her whole back from hitting the mat, so she was in a half-sitting position. Unfortunately for her, this was still enough for Lairon to take full advantage of her position, sending various slashes into her gut and shouting, "METAL CLAW!"

The Vietnamese crowd went wild as Machoke said, "Damn, and just think Gardevoir, you might have to fight that guy," Gardevoir nodding and putting on a serious look, saying, "I'll do my best if that happens," Gallade grinning and replying, "That's my little sis."

Blood was flying from Garchomp as the dragon grunted in pain, gritting her teeth while Nori said, "Lairon's already off to a very good start as he has Garchomp down and taking in an onslaught of fierce slashes. Will this be the shortest match in Hero Olympics history?" Weedle remarking, "Oh no, that honour goes to the match between Graveler and Venonat in the twenty-second Hero Olympics. Poor Venonat was defeated in only five seconds."

"Damn, now that guy scares me even more than he did during training," Machoke groaned, Reika equally impressed until Weedle added, "Of course, that was the only time Graveler ever won a match," Machoke adding, "Now I'm starting to wonder if this Venonat was all that strong of a fighter."

Lairon continued to wail on Garchomp until the dragon fumed and spat, "There's no way I'm going down so easily," before sending her arms forward, striking Lairon hard in the chin. This dealt less damage than it would have to anyone else due to the dinosaur's metal body but it was still effective enough to distract him as she tucked her arms under his arms and rolled backward, planting his head into the canvas while the Russian fans cheered.

However, Lairon simply smirked, once again taking in very little pain as he used his feet to force the dragon off of him. The dinosaur then got back up and said, "Not bad, Garchomp, but not good enough."

The dragon took a deep breath, trying her best to ignore the cuts on her as she rushed at Lairon, the dinosaur once again using timing an precision to easily dodge her. This time he was right beside the dragon as he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up despite her superior height and slamming the side of her neck into the mat while the Vietnamese fans cheered once more.

"Many thought Garchomp for sure would have the advantage, and yet so far Lairon is proving to be far superior," Nori stated, Aipom biting her lip. Sure, she may not have known Garchomp that much, but after helping her get this far, she still wanted to see the dragon win at least one match.

However, Garchomp had even more trouble as Lairon proceeded to leap onto her back, wrapping his legs around her fin for support and latching his arms onto her neck. The dragon's eyes were wide open as the crowd simply could not believe how easy this match had been for him.

"I'll admit, Garchomp, I was at least expecting a challenge," Lairon said as the dragon gritted her teeth, the dinosaur adding, "So far, you've been a major disappointment."

Garchomp simply smirked, remarking, "Oh, I've just been gauging your power so far," all going silent as Lairon grunted, "You're bluffing," the dragon remarking, "Oh no, I'm being serious. You've got power, kid, I'll admit, but you're not good enough to defeat me."

With that, the dragon proceeded to lean backward, slamming Lairon's back into the mat as all went silent, Machoke asking, "Shouldn't that have hurt her even more?" Aipom nodding and replying, "Yeah, that really should have," Garchomp seeming to have taken in no extra pain from straining her neck like that, the dragon noticing that Lairon was having trouble getting up and taking full advantage of this, lifting up her tail and sending it hard into his gut.

Lairon simply ignored the pain and grabbed hold of her tail asking, "Is that really the best you have?" Garchomp smirking and lifting her tail back up, taking Lairon up with it and replying, "Of course not," the dragon flinging him hard into the turnbuckle as his eyes and mouth were wide open, the Russian fans going wild.

"Lairon's been doing an incredible job up to this point, but now Garchomp is on the offensive," Nori stated, "She might just have what it takes to win after all," Machoke trembling and uttering, "She wasn't kidding. She's really strong."

However, Lairon took a deep breath and ignored the pain dealt to him. Once again, his steel body did cushion the previous blows to a certain degree, but he was still feeling alarmed now. Clearly Garchomp was just as powerful as she looked.

"I have to hand it to you," Lairon said with a scowl, "It's not easy for one of your stature to make someone believe they're weak, but you pulled it off. Well, now that I've seen how powerful you can really be, I'm not holding back!"

Garchomp simply smirked and held up her arms saying, "I wouldn't have it any other way," the dragon once again rushing at the dinosaur. Lairon was once again using his head when the dragon sent her arms out toward his midsection, the dinosaur grabbing her claws and leaning backward, lifting her over his head and planting her head into the canvas.

However, the dragon was ready for this as her claws started glowing, Garchomp barking, "DRAGON CLAW!" sending both into Lairon's back. The dinosaur actually did not feel anything from this thanks to his armour but was shocked when he found he was having trouble moving, the reason becoming clear when Nori stated, "And with a fierce attack, Garchomp has lodged her claws into Lairon's armour!"

Everyone stared at this as the dinosaur's eyes widened, Lairon trying desperately to get away only for Garchomp to smirk, the dragon saying, "I'm impressed your armour was strong enough to cushion the blow, but my Dragon Claw can still beat you," Garchomp lifting Lairon up and holding her knee out, ramming the area between his legs into it thus performing an atomic drop.

The Russian fans went wild again as the dragon proceeded to lean backward, planting his head into the mat once again, only this time she applied much more pressure than before. Lairon tried his best to ignore it before noticing a small fragment of his helmet fall off, his eyes widening.

The Vietnamese fans were now concerned as Lairon squirmed before prying himself free from Garchomp's claws, taking many deep breaths before forcing a grin and exclaiming, "Don't worry, fans! I'll win this, count on it!" the fans starting to feel a bit more relaxed.

"That's a pretty big promise," Garchomp said before crossing her arms and charging toward him with her wrist fins at the ready, the dragon adding, "Can you fulfil it?" Lairon growling before ducking under the incoming fins at just the right moment. With that, his helmet glowed briefly before the dinosaur spat, "IRON HEAD!" ramming his skull hard into Garchomp's gut, the dragon's eyes widening as she actually coughed up a bit of blood.

The Vietnamese fans were now cheering heavily, their confidence in Lairon returning as Machoke winced, groaning, "Damn, that looked painful!" Aipom all the while wondering if maybe Garchomp would end up losing this match.

"Things were looking bad for Lairon, but now he's back on the offensive," Nori stated, "With a nasty headbutt, he has once again managed to draw blood."

Garchomp gritted her teeth, doing her best to ignore this as she lowered her arms, latching her fins against the back of Lairon's neck. The dinosaur's eyes widened as the dragon proceeded lift him up, about to set him up for another suplex. However, Lairon was prepared this time as he whipped out his tail, said tail glowing briefly and leaning his body back, sending the tail forward and shouting, "IRON TAIL!" slamming it hard into Garchomp's forehead.

The dragon's eyes were wide once again, but she tried her best to ignore the pain while leaning back and completing her suplex, slamming Lairon's head into the mat once more. However, despite this, it was clear that Garchomp had taken in more pain from both of his attacks and breathing heavily, a bit more blood escaping her mouth.

The Vietnamese fans were going wild as the Russian fans were simply shocked. It took a lot to deal that kind of damage to Garchomp. However, the dragon was not going to allow herself to lose as she gritted her teeth, trying to come up with some kind of strategy.

Every time she got the upper hand, Lairon would come up with some method of taking the advantage back. He may have looked slow and dumb, but he was actually a fairly good strategist and his speed was just enough to work to his advantage. That steel body of his also added more to the problem.

However, she could not think much longer as Lairon charged toward her with his head out again. Garchomp realized she needed to think of more strategies herself as she took a deep breath, lowering her arms as if to admit defeat.

All went silent as Nori asked, "Is Garchomp giving up?" the crowd gasping at the sight of this only to be proven wrong with the dragon smirked, Lairon now close enough as she threw her wrist fins into the side of his face shouting, "DUAL CHOP!" the Russian fans cheering only for their cheers to fade when Lairon managed to ignore the pain, ramming his head into the dragon's gut and shouting, "IRON HEAD!"

Despite having once again drawn blood from Garchomp's mouth, though, Lairon's chances were looking smaller now as that move of hers had actually put more cracks in his helmet, his eyes widening when he noticed more small fragments falling to the mat. The dinosaur gritted his teeth, growling at Garchomp. He had to finish her off now before it was too late.

However, Garchomp simply ignored the pain to her gut now as she charged at Lairon with her fins pointed at his neck. Once again, the dinosaur was on the defensive only this time, the dragon knew what he was planning. As such, she tucked her arms in and leapt over his head, spinning vertically while shouting, "FIN BUZZSAW!" sending her fan hard into the top of Lairon's head.

The dinosaur's eyes and mouth were wide open as the dragon landed behind him, a smirk on her face as a big cut formed down the middle of his head, the bone-like armour splitting in half and falling off. The crowd stared in shock, the Russian fans going wild.

Lairon's eyes were even wider now, the dinosaur panicking as he spat, "YOU MONSTER! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!?" everyone staring in confusion as the dinosaur's face was covered in scars, Garchomp tilting her head to the side, remarking, "Your body's strong even without the armour. Get over it."

"I knew you wouldn't understand!" Lairon retorted, "You see these scars on my face!? This is a reminder of the kind of fighter I used to be!"

Everyone stared as Lairon took a deep breath, remembering just how bad of a fighter he had been. Much like Gallade, after his victory on Hero Planet, he found himself needing his partners to defeat villains for him, and it was mainly because of his fighting style.

He had always had a tendency to rush into danger head-on without thinking as he figured his steel body would protect him from everything. However, all that resulted from this was a series of losses and scars. His partners would try to be patient with him, but even they were starting to wonder how he ever passed his final exam and he was starting to wonder it too.

He then decided to check out footage from back when his father, Aggron, used to fight evil. He noticed that his father won by surprising the world with his combat knowledge. Despite his brute strength and tough build, he was very smart when it came to fighting. He never rushed into battles head-on but instead always waited for an opening.

Lairon wanted to be just like that and started studying his techniques, seeing just how he responded to every situation thrown at him. And the following day, Lairon noticed a bank being robbed and challenged the robber before he allies could show up. Of course when they did arrive, they only stuck around because that had a feeling he was going to lose.

However, Lairon had managed to avoid getting hit so much as once. Despite his opponent throwing everything at him, the dinosaur managed to dodge and block every one of his moves, ultimate defeating him with his Iron Tail. His allies gained a new found respect for him while Lairon had decided to always fight like that.

Though he was still ashamed of the kind of fighter he used to be, the exact opposite of what his father was. As a result, Lairon collected strong metal to form himself a helmet similar to the one Aggron wore in order to hide his scars from the world. He figured it might also look cooler and be more practical to add a tail to the helmet, so he did just that.

Now he had been reminded of the rash, reckless idiot he used to be and was now furious as a result. The dinosaur gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, shouting, "YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!" Garchomp's eyes wide open as she said, "Seriously, man, chill out. It's not that big a deal."

Lairon ignored her words when the dragon noticed his style had changed. Due to his anger, he was no longer thinking straight thus resulting in his attempt at another headbutt being sloppy. With that in mind, Garchomp simply swung her tail at him and slammed it hard into his chest.

Lairon wrapped his arms around the tail only for Garchomp to swing her body around, sending him flying into the turnbuckle, the back of his now-exposed head ramming into it. The Russian fans were going wild as Garchomp waited for Lairon to recover, knowing he would likely try that again.

"This match has just been going back and forth with who's on the advantage," Nori said, "Just when you think one of these two is going to win, the other changes the tide, though now it seems like Garchomp might just win this after all."

"NO SHE WON'T!" Lairon spat as he ignored the pain to his head, charging at the dragon again as she smirked and thought, 'It's time to end this,' before crossing her arms and pointing out her fins. Since Lairon was no longer thinking straight, he simply ran face-first into the tips, now distracted as Garchomp proceeded to wrap her arms around him.

The Vietnamese fans were in panic while the Russian fans were cheering heavily, Garchomp leaping high above the ring and leaning backward. Just before she could descend, though, she opened her mouth and unleashed a shock wave that went backwards and covered her own body in what looked like a blue flame, the dragon shouting, "DRAGON RUSH!" descending toward the canvas hard and fast.

Soon enough, Lairon's head was slammed hard against the mat as a smoke cloud surrounded the two, everyone staring and wondering if this would be enough to finish the job. However, the Vietnamese fans were even more worried about Lairon when he heard the sound of something shattering, and once the smoke cleared they noticed it was just as they had feared. His armour had shattered into many big chunks, the dinosaur's eyes and mouth now stuck open as he fell hard on his back.

After ten seconds, Beedrill ran the bell and exclaimed, "And the winner of the sixth match of the Hero Olympics is Garchomp!" the Russian fans cheering wildly and whistling while the Vietnamese fans simply folded their arms, bowing their heads in respect for their fallen representative. After all, he had done the best he could, so it would have been wrong for them to just look down upon him because of one loss.

"OH MY GOD, THAT GARCHOMP IS SCARY!" Machoke exclaimed, Gallade sighing, "I'd be more worried about my sister than myself if I were you," the boy blinking and saying, "Oh, right," Gardevoir simply taking a deep breath and saying, "Don't worry, I'll do the best I can," the girl flashing him a cute smile as he nodded, replying, "I'm sure you can do it."

Garchomp took a deep breath and said, "I have to admit, Lairon, you actually really surprised me. You're a very good fighter, but you need to learn to fight well without that armour protecting you. You might have actually won if you didn't let that get to you so much."

But just as she was about to exit the ring, Lairon regained just enough consciousness to utter, "Do you mean it?" the dragon turning and replying, "Yes, I do," the dragon then smiling and adding, "Also, I think those scares are pretty cool," the dinosaur grinning, his grin fading when he had lost consciousness and needed to be rushed to the hospital.

"And that concludes the matches in the new arena," Beedrill stated, "Once again, we're taking a two hour recess to relocate. The last two matches will take place in the local spa," all going silent as Machoke asked, "A spa? Seriously?" Weedle nodding and replying, "Yeah, I thought you of all people would like that."

"Well, yeah, I wouldn't mind getting a massage from some sexy ladies," Machoke replied with a big grin as Reika and Aipom both smacked him on the back of the head, Aipom sighing, "His reaction makes sense, though. Where would you hold a match in a spa?" Beedrill replying, "Well, it's so much in the spa so much as it's in the back yard," Blaziken remarking, "Why didn't you just say outside the spa!? Seriously, that's very misleading!"

"Who cares?" Tsuya asked, "This is a good chance to take a load off before the matches start!" Reika nodding and replying, "That's a good point. We could have some girl time, get manicures, take mud baths and all that stuff," Cici asking, "You want to join us?" looking at Scyther, Blaziken and Gardevoir.

"Well, I could use some relaxation after my match," Gardevoir replied with a cute smile as Blaziken shrugged, saying, "Not my kind of thing, but I'm willing to give it a try."

However, Scyther simply folded her arms saying, "Maybe I should go and train. I've already seen all of you guys fight," the girls giving her big puppy dog eyes as the insect winced before sighing, "Alright, fine," rubbing her temple and hoping it would be quick.

And once again, the remaining participants were given a ride and since there were only ten left, they were all given a ride in a limo. However, for whatever reason, one of the seats was missing as Machoke ended up riding on a metal box tied to the back of the vehicle, the boy crying out in terror while it sped toward the next location. He just knew Weedle had set this up.

Once there, the group decided to take full advantage of the remaining hour and a half they had. The girls all decided to enjoy themselves, Scyther still hoping it would end soon. However, after twenty minutes of being pampered, she found herself really enjoying it and being with her friends also made the experience better.

Currently, the girls were all lying on their bellies on beds while men massaged their backs, Reika asking, "So, Scyther, how is it?" the insect replying, "I have to admit, after spending so much of my life training, this is nice. I can't even remember the last time I had this much time to enjoy myself."

Reika smiled bright as Gardevoir let out a sigh, squeaking, "So this is what a spa is like. I've never been to one before."

During this time, Machoke and Gallade were off in a separate area while getting their own massages. Machoke simply grinned childishly and said, "Better not enjoy yourself too much, otherwise Hitmonchan might be jealous."

Gallade let out a sigh and replied, "I'm sure she's fine with this. Besides, what about you and Reika?" Machoke replying, "That's a good point."

During this time, it seemed even Lucario was bought in by the offer of relaxation as he had headed into a sauna to relax. Or it at least seemed that way until he walked over to a bench and placed his hands firmly against it, the dog performing a handstand and performing a pushups while in that position. In reality, this trip to the sauna was really for training purposes.

All the while, Primeape was training as well only he was outside of the spa, waiting by the ring before the seats could even be filled. Without any punching bags to use, he simply sent his fists repeatedly into stones in the yard figuring those would work well enough.

All the while, the girls were relaxing in a mud bath when Scyther said, "I admit it, Reika, this was a very good idea. Danke schoen," Reika smiling and replying, "See? It's okay to do girly things once in a while," Gardevoir sighing, "I don't want this to end," the others laughing as Blaziken said, "Honestly, this is the only part I'm not too crazy about."

The chicken got up from the bath and groaned, "You may find this relaxing, but I don't like having mud in my feathers. I'm gonna go wash off," Blaziken taking her leave as the others shrugged, Hitmonchan stretching and saying, "I hope Gallade's relaxing too."

"So it doesn't bother you that he's getting a massage from a pretty young woman?" Tsuya asked, Hitmonchan remarking, "Hey, he's okay with me getting a massage from a man. It would be wrong for me to be envious of him."

"Um, Reika, can I ask you something?" Cici asked in a softer tone than usual as Reika blinked, asking, "What is it?" Cici biting her lip and replying, "Never mind, it's not important," the girl shrugging her shoulders and closing her eyes, Tsuya staring at her in confusion.

Once their time was up, everyone was headed to the ring while the fighters had to wait until their presences were announced. Either way, everyone was really excited as they had all been looking forward to seeing Lucario in action.


	46. Chapter 46

The crowd was getting restless as they waited in anticipation for the match between Lucario and Primeape. Even Machoke was rather interested to see just what Lucario would do. He had not seen the dog fight since he killed a pair of humans in front of his face. He wanted to see just how well he would do against a hero.

"Welcome, everyone, to the seventh match of the Hero Olympics!" Beedrill exclaimed, "Now this is a match I'm sure many have been waiting for, the match between Lucario and Primeape!" the crowd cheering as he added, "Something worth note is that Lucario is the son of Riolu, the champion of both the nineteenth and twentieth Hero Olympics! He had a perfect winning streak before Machamp came along and took that from him in the twenty-first Olympics! Is Lucario better than his father? We're gonna find out soon!"

Nori nodded and exclaimed, "In the red corner, representing Peru is a monkey that can really pack a punch, quite literally, Primeape!" the Peruvian fans cheering wildly as the monkey raced toward the ring, leaping high into the air and flipping vertically a few times before landing firmly against the canvas.

Primeape was an odd-looking specimen as his body was round and completely covered in white, shaggy fur. His ears were also more pointed than that of a typical monkey and looked more like a cat's ears. The only parts of him not covered in hair were his nose, which was like that of a pig, his arms and his legs, these parts being brown with black metal braces on the wrists and ankles. His hands also resembled boxing gloves.

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "coming to us from England, a mysterious fighter with an impressive background, Lucario!" the English fans cheering before noticing the dog was not there.

All went silent as Nori asked, "Where's Lucario?" Weedle's eyes going wide as he spat, "That's a good question!" the caterpillar thinking, 'Dammit, he'd better show up soon! He's the star attraction of the Olympics!'

Beedrill cleared his throat and said, "Okay, Lucario seems to be running late, but worry not, British fans, for he will have ten minutes to show up! If during that time he does not arrive, he will be disqualified and the match will go to Primeape!" the monkey fuming and snorting, "He'd better not have chickened out!"

Amanda was especially worried right now as she bit her lower lip, placing her hand against her chest thinking, 'Where are you, Lucario? It's not like you to duck out of a fight,' Machoke noticing her and saying, "Oh, that's Lucario's sister."

"He has a sister?" Aipom asked, Machoke nodding and saying, "Yeah, they were teammates in the three-legged race," Reika smiling and saying, "It's sweet of her to come all this way to see him," Cici squeaking, "I just hope he doesn't disappoint her."

During this time, a staff member of the spa noticed the sauna was still being occupied, her eyes widening as she opened the door and noticed Lucario lying against the bench he had been doing pushups on, the dog breathing heavily as sweat poured down his entire body. The woman panicked and quickly ran over to him, dragging him out of the sauna.

"Are you okay, sir?" the woman asked as the dog took many deep breaths, grunting, "Yes, I'm fine!" shoving the woman to the side and walking shakily toward the back exit, adding, "If you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to!"

The staff member held out her hand but retracted it when she could see just how serious Lucario was right now. She could tell that he would not listen to reason right now and hoped he would be okay in his condition.

After five minutes, Primeape folded his arms, tapping his foot and snorting, "Where the hell is he!? Doesn't he realize how rude it is to keep your opponent waiting!?" the audience now really worried, especially Amanda. Had something happened to him?

However, everyone's fears were put to rest when Lucario arrived wearing his street jacket, only this time it was zipped up. The crowd went wild as Amanda took a deep breath, Nori saying, "After leaving us hanging for five minutes, Lucario finally shows up and looking as if he had not just left us waiting!" Lucario taking a deep breath and saying nothing, the dog headed toward the ring.

"Geez, he could at least apologize for his tardiness," Machoke groaned, "Even I was worried," Aipom asking, "But why? You hardly know him," the boy replying, "Yeah, but he did help expose Talonflame, remember?" the monkey saying, "That is true."

Gardevoir felt relieved to see him arrive. After all, she had still not forgotten the day he saved her from those robbers. She still wished he had chosen to fight alongside them, though.

Primeape released steam from his nostrils, slamming his feet against the mat and barking, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW ANGRY YOU'VE MADE ME!? YOU DON'T TAKE ME SERIOUSLY ENOUGH, DO YOU!?" Lucario frowning and retorting, "I'm sorry I was late, but I had some business to take care of," the pig monkey refusing to accept this as he remarked, "Whatever! At least I can vent my frustration by wiping the floor with you!"

With that, British fans were cheering as they could finally count of Lucario to represent them. However, their cheers turned to looks of shock, Amanda filling up with terror when the dog removed his jacket, revealing that he had lost a significant amount of muscle. He had already been skinny before but now one could actually see his ribcage pressing up against his skin as he tried his best not to breathe too heavily. He knew his sister was watching and did not want to upset her.

Weedle stared, his eye twitching as he uttered, "Please tell me I'm just seeing this," the woman from earlier entering the area and gasping when she saw Lucario. For whatever reason, she had not realized he was partaking in this very match and as such, she felt like it was her responsibility to tell the chairman of Hero Planet about this right away, and despite having not recognized Lucario, she seemed to know full well who Beedrill was as she walked over to him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"What is it?" the wasp asked as she whispered in his ear, "That guy in the ring, the blue one, I found him in the sauna. He stayed in there too long and exhausted himself as a result," Beedrill's eyes widening as he quickly turned to Weedle and whispered the same thing to him.

"He did what!?" Weedle remarked before whispering into the side of Beedrill's head, "Alright, look, Lucario is a big favourite to win this match. We must not allow anyone to know what he did. That means we act like nothing's going on and let this match go as planned," Beedrill replying, "I was thinking it would be more logical to send him somewhere to recover, but if you say so."

'Dammit,' the caterpillar thought with his eyelids narrowed, 'How could he do something so stupid at such a crucial moment?'

"What happened?" Machoke asked, "He actually looks... not scary today," Aipom nodding and replying, "He definitely doesn't seem like his usual self," Gardevoir really hoping he was feeling fine.

Even so, Lucario did his best to stay up, though people could see his legs shaking as he was trying his hardest just to stand up. The only one not showing any sympathy was Primeape who simply believed this was an act to get him to drop his guard. After all, he had heard amazing things about Lucario and had prepared extra hard for this match so there was no way he was going to hold back.

With that, Nori looked around before saying, "Alright, we're finally ready to start, so begin!" the woman ringing the bell as Primeape immediately charged toward Lucario. The dog was unable to react in time as the monkey sent his fist hard into his face, the crowd gasping as Lucario almost fell down from the force but just barely managed to stay up.

Machoke stared and asked, "Did anyone else just see that?" the others nodding as Blaziken said, "Yeah, I've barely seen Lucario in combat and yet somehow, that didn't look right."

Amanda was the most worried as Primeape proceeded to sent another punch to the dog's face, following it up with an onslaught, hitting him multiple times as the dog just barely managed to stay up. After a few more hits, the dog sent his palm toward the pig monkey's face only for Primeape to back away in time to dodge it, lifting up his fist and sending it hard into Lucario's skull.

Once again, the dog just barely managed to stay up as he backed away from Primeape, rubbing his skull. However, just as Weedle was feeling beyond irritated by this, he noticed one member of the crowd and not from the Peruvian side saying, "You know, I gotta admit, that Primeape is pretty awesome," another nodding and replying, "Yeah, he's beating up Lucario like it's nothing," another exclaiming, "YOU ROCK, PRIMEAPE!"

Most of the area burst into heavy cheering for the monkey as Weedle's eyes widened, the caterpillar thinking, 'Perhaps Primeape can make me rich after all. I guess I don't need Lucario.'

"Not only does Lucario show up late and looking exhausted, but he's not even putting up a fight!" Nori exclaimed, "I've heard a lot of amazing things about his family's abilities, too, and I even saw him in action once! Perhaps he hasn't been training since then!"

"Well, if you're not going to take this seriously," Primeape said with a frown, "I may as well end this now!" the monkey winding up his arm before shouting, "SUPER FIST!" sending a harder punch than the ones dealt before into Lucario's face, the dog coughing up blood as backed up into the ropes, slumping over them and breathing heavily.

"So you're still standing," Primeape said with a snort, "That doesn't mean a thing to me anymore! I came into this match expecting a huge challenge and what do I get? A weakling who can't even live up to his family's reputation! Your father may have been amazing, but I guess the same can't be said for his flesh and blood! I bet you bribed your way to the Olympics!"

Amanda bit her lip, knowing this was not true, but Lucario acted as if nothing insulting had been said. Was he really too weak to even stand a chance in this match or was something else going on?

However, Machoke's eyes widened when he noticed something in Lucario's eyes, a glimmer. It was as if the dog knew someone no one else did, the boy asking, "Hey, Aipom, do you see what I see?" the monkey replying, "What are you referring to, exactly?" Blaziken nodding and saying, "I'm surprised you of all people noticed it."

The others turned to the chicken as she added, "I've noticed it since Lucario took in his second hit. He's had this very intense look in his eyes like he's waiting for something."

Primeape of course did not detect this as he wound up his arm again, saying, "Alright, time to finish you off for good!" but as he sent his fist forward again, Lucario rose his arm and grabbed it, a serious look in his eyes as the crowd gasped, Nori saying, "Just as it seemed Lucario was done for, he has made a miraculous recovery, but will this be enough to save him or is he merely delaying the inevitable?"

The dog simply frowned as Primeape sent his other fist toward him only for that wrist to be grabbed as well. The monkey's eyes went wide as Lucario said, "I notice you're only able to fight with your fists. While it is commendable that you can stand up to might villains with such a limited move set, you're going to need more than that to get through the Olympics."

Primeape was about to retort when Lucario started pulling on his arms, forcing them into an X formation. The monkey squealed in pain, the British fans cheering as the Peruvian fans were absolutely shocked. Had Lucario been playing possum this whole time? His father certainly had not been known for taking that sort of approach.

After dealing enough pain, Lucario proceeded to pull harder, bringing Primeape's head close to him before ramming his skull into the monkey's face. He finally released his hold on the wrists as Primeape backed up, rubbing his aching head only to receive a hard palm punch to the gut.

Something odd happened with Lucario as a strong aura temporarily surrounded him, the aura lasting just long enough for his build to return to normal. No more could his ribcage be seen against his body and his arms were back to being just wide enough to cover up his bones. Even all that exhaustion from earlier had left him as if that mishap in the sauna never happened.

No one really knew how he had regained his strength like that, not even Amanda. She had never seen him pull off something like this, but even so, the British fans were still ecstatic, cheering wildly for the dog.

Weedle was simply glad that the crowd was loving Lucario even more than they had before. It seemed him making such an amazing comeback after coming so close to losing won him more respect and that was fine by this caterpillar.

Primeape was not going to let this go, though, as he rushed at Lucario while flailing his fists about shouting, "NO, I'M GOING TO WIN THIS NO MATTER WHAT!" only for the dog to once again grab hold of his wrists, this time leaning backwards and lifting him over his torso.

Primeape's eyes were wide with shock as Lucario sent his feet hard into the monkey's chest, sending him flying high above the ring. However, the was he had kicked him was enough to send him spinning vertically so by the time he stopped rising, his back was facing the dog while he descended, unable to even try and counter what was coming next.

Soon enough, the monkey's back was planted hard against Lucario's chest spike as his eyes were wide open with shock, Lucario locking his arms in place and shouting, "LONDON BRIDGE!" blood coming from the monkey as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, Lucario releasing him and saying, "Don't worry, he's still alive."

Beedrill nodded and started the countdown, the British fans going wild, Machoke trembling and uttering, "I think this new Lucario scares me even more than the old one," Amanda simply staring silently when the wasp reached ten, shouting, "And the winner of the seventh match of the Hero Olympics is Lucario!"

The British fans were cheering even louder save for one who had actually stopped cheering on Lucario shortly after his sudden recovery, and that was Amanda. She could feel something off about him at that moment when his strength returned. Sure, her brother had done as usual and just applied enough force to his London Bridge not to kill the opponent, but there was still a sense of malice that had not been seen since the time he had killed an innocent human.

The girl then shook her head, figuring she was imagining this when Lucario looked at her, the girl smiling lightly and flashing both of her thumbs up toward him. He was simply trying to win and that was it. Nothing else was going on.

Lucario simply gazed briefly at his unconscious opponent before the monkey was lifted up and taken out of the ring, the dog taking a deep breath and headed to the bleachers. He had won the first round and that was what counted right now. The only thing left to do was to find out who his next opponent was, nothing more.

Beedrill simply cleared his throat and stated, "Well, that was certainly an unexpected result, wasn't it, folks? As you all know by now, the next two fighters get five minutes to prepare themselves, however, in light of that match being so surprisingly short, I think I'll extend that time to ten," the wasp then turning to Weedle who nodded and replied, "I'll allow it."

"He's too generous," said a certain purple starfish in the crowd, namely Starmie. She was not an ordinary starfish, of course, as her body looked a lot more like it was made of crystal than actual flesh. She also had another star attached to her back, only this one was pointed upside down. And rather than having an actual face, she instead had a red gemstone on her front with a solid gold rim around it.

Metang was even more intimidating with his red eyeballs, but that was far from what made him so intimidating. He was a blue cyborg with a horn for a nose. Instead of a neck, he had a disc under his head with grey spikes coming from the sides. His body was quite tall and stocky , his arms rather skinny save for his forearms, which were massive in comparison, big claws coming from the palms of each.

The two stared threateningly at one-another, clearly taking their upcoming match very seriously. Machoke could just feel the tension in the air as he uttered, "They do know these are fights between heroes, right?" Aipom replying, "Get used to it. I've heard the Hero Olympics have always been like this."

During that ten minute break, the others decided to stretch their feet a bit. They knew ten minutes was not enough time to enjoy the relaxation of the spa but they could still walk around.

Amanda seemed to have a different reason as she was headed toward Lucario, the girl tapping him on the shoulder as the dog turned to her and said, "Oh, hi sis," Amanda smiling and replying, "You were great back there," the girl then glaring at him and adding, "But don't scare me like that again! I thought there was something wrong with you!"

"There was," Lucario replied, "but it's dealt with now. There's nothing to worry about," the girl taking a deep breath and replying, "Okay, as long as you're fine," the dog smiling and giving his sister a hug, of course leaning forward to make sure his spike did not touch her.

At that moment, Amanda's doubts regarding the dog were gone. He was back to his usual self, no malice in what he was doing whatsoever. He had only shown aggression against Primeape so he could win the match, nothing more.

With all said and done, the ten minutes had flown by as the seats were once again filled, Amanda and Lucario sitting next to each other now. While Lucario was focused on finding out his next opponent, his sister was just happy to be spending some quality time with him, even if it was not under peaceful circumstances.

"Welcome, one and all, to the eighth match of the Hero Olympics and the final match of the first round!" Beedrill exclaimed as the audience was now excited, Nori stating, "In the red corner, coming to us from Croatia is a cyborg with a great deal of strength, Metang!" the Croatian fans cheering heavily when the cyborg headed toward the ring, waving to the crowd.

His entrance may not have been anything special or even threatening for that matter, but he still let off an intimidating air. Machoke was getting shivers just looking at him as Aipom let out a sigh, patting him on the shoulder.

"And in the blue corner, hailing from Brazil is a starfish with a brilliant sheen, Starmie!" Nori exclaimed as the starfish flew into the area while spinning like a disc, the starfish landing firmly against the ring with her arms against her hips, the Brazilian fans loving this.

Both fighters stared each other down, tensions once again rising. Sure, this may have been a fight between heroes, but like the others before them, they were very serious about this.

And without further ado, Nori took a deep breath and rang the bell, signalling the start of the match.


	47. Chapter 47

The match between Metang and Starmie had begun as Starmie immediately rushed at Metang. There was no way she would give the cyborg a chance to beat her as even if she was only half his size. But when she got close, Metang simply rose his right foot and sent her toward.

The starfish took in the heavy blow to the face while the Croatian fans went wild, Metang staring at his opponent as she got up, breathing heavily and saying, "Oh, man, I really should have seen that coming!" rubbing her top star tip before shaking her head and saying, "Alright, I need another strategy, and I know just the one."

"Why do I get the feeling this is gonna be a short match?" Machoke asked as Aipom hushed him, remarking, "Starmie may be shorter than Metang, but that doesn't mean she's out. Remember how well Lairon fought against Garchomp?" the boy shivering and replying, "Oh yeah. That was terrifying."

With all said and done, the starfish performed a series of back flips over to the ropes before bouncing off of one, turning her entire body backwards and spinning like a frisbee. The Brazilian fans went wild as Starmie proceeded to spin her body just like that very object and exclaimed, "RAPID SPIN!" flying toward Metang.

The cyborg simply held up his arms in defence, asking, "Is that really the best you got?" only for the starfish to swerve to the right, ramming herself hard into the side of his head.

The Brazilian fans were cheering even louder now as Metang's eyes widened, Starmie coming back to him and ramming into the back of his head. With that, she continued to back away after each hit and come back from a different angle, hitting a different part of Metang every time.

The cyborg fell to his knees when she rammed into the back of each leg and started holding his arms up when she continued to wail on his head, Nori saying, "Like with Lairon, Metang has a strong, steel body, but it seems even he can't handle the force of Starmie's Rapid Spin!"

The Brazilian fans continued to cheer as Machoke exclaimed, "Oh god, that Starmie's incredible! Despite her small stature, she's really hurting him!" Reika nodding and replying, "It just goes to show that size isn't everything."

However, Metang was started to get frustrated as he thought, 'Alright, enough is enough. There has to be some way to hit her before she strikes me again," Metang then noticing her coming at him from right in front of his face.

The cyborg needed a way to hit her before she could make contact with his face, and he had only one move in his arsenal that could pull that off. As such, the cyborg rose his fists shouting, "BULLET PUNCH!" sending an onslaught of punches toward the starfish at rapid speed when she got close enough.

Everyone stared in shock as Starmie took in a huge onslaught of punches, Metang forcing her back to her upright with an uppercut before sending more punches. After delivering thirty, he sent one last punch, this one stronger than the others, and sent her flying into the turnbuckle.

The Croatian fans cheered wildly as the cyborg took many deep breaths, thinking, 'The only downside to this move is that it takes a lot of power to use. I just hope Starmie doesn't catch onto that and start using Rapid Spin again. There's only so many times I can counter with this one.'

Starmie slowly pushed herself back up only now the gem on her face was actually blinking, but very slowly and only once every five seconds. Even so, this was still alarming to her as Metang blinked and asked, "What's with the stone thingy on your face?"

"That's a good question," Beedrill said, "I don't know what this is about either," Weedle nodding and replying, "Well, it's something she and her brother, Staryu, share," the caterpillar then looking through the crowd while thinking, 'Funny, I thought he'd be here to see his sister compete.'

Starmie took a deep breath and replied, "Well, I hate to give you a sense of confidence, but alright, I'll explain it. See, this gem is something that's been a part of our family for years. It's not just an accessory. It's part of my body," everyone rather intrigue by this, Machoke saying, "I wish I had a gemstone on my body," a big grin on his face as he added, "Then more girls would probably like me," Aipom and Reika once again smacking him on the back of the head.

"So why's it blinking?" Metang asked as the starfish sighed, "It blinks when I take in a lot of damage. When it stops glowing, it means I'm unconscious," the crowd rather fascinated by this as Metang asked, "You sure you're not a cyborg like me?" the starfish replying, "Positive."

With all said and done, Starmie took a deep breath before trying to come up with something else. Luckily for Metang, she did not realize how little he could punch at that speed, so she figured she needed a new strategy to catch him off-guard again.

She then remember one other move she could try, a similar move that contained more power. With that in mind, the starfish rushed at Metang, the cyborg simply aiming his foot at her again. However, Starmie was prepared as she leapt over the incoming foot and leapt into the air, spinning again.

Metang gulped, figuring the starfish was going to try her Rapid Spin again. However, she instead soared passed him and into the rope before forcing it far back, flinging herself off of it like a slingshot and spinning once again. However, with the speed she was moving at, it looked like a giant yellow star had encased her body.

Metang was unable to respond to this as the starfish spat, "SWIFT!" ramming hard into his chest as he backed up, his eyes wide open as he tried his best to ignore the pain. Once again, he may have been made of steel, but Starmie was a lot tougher than she looked.

Seeing as this had dealt some damage, Starmie decided to try again while the Brazilian fans cheered wildly, the starfish running over to the ropes and applying as much force as possible before shouting, "SWIFT!"

However, when the star got close, Metang knew it was coming this time as he spun his body around, swinging his forearm hard into the side as the stay itself vanished, Starmie taking in the fierce blow and falling hard on her back. The Croatian fans were cheering now as Nori said, "Just as Starmie had found a new means of harming Metang, the cyborg responds with a powerful blow to her face! How can she possibly recover from that!?"

Metang did not wish to find out as he lifted her up, sending her back down into the canvas with a chokeslam, the gemstone blinking a bit faster now. The cyborg did not consider this fast enough, though, as he realized he could easily finish her at this exact moment.

With that in mind, Metang knelt down and wrapped his claws around Starmie's upper tip and saying, "It's a shame that our match has to be the shortest, but I don't mess around," before flinging her high into the air, holding back a fist, his arm vibrating.

"Alright, he's going to use his best move!" a Croatian viewer exclaimed, another shouting, "Yeah, cream her, Metang!" the crowd chanting his name as Machoke gulped, "Now I'm afraid of what he's going to use," Metang's fist glowing now.

Once Starmie was close enough, the starfish too weak to save herself, Metang sent his fist hard into her back and spat, "METEOR MASH!" sending her flying hard into the turnbuckle as her gemstone was no longer glowing red.

Beedrill remembered what she had said earlier and as such, he knew a countdown would not be necessary as he rang the bell, exclaiming, "AND IN A RATHER SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, METANG HAS TAKEN THE FINAL VICTORY OF THE FIRST ROUND OF THE HERO OLYMPICS!" the Croatian fans going wild as the Brazilian fans simply shouted encouraging words like "You did your best!" and "Don't think you disappointed us, because you didn't!"

Metang on the other hand was not feeling so sportsmanlike as he glared down at the starfish, sighing, "I'm not sure you can hear me in your unconscious state, but if you can, let me give you a bit of advice! Before you face someone bigger than you, learn more techniques otherwise getting around your abilities will be way too easy!"

Machoke all the while was thinking about how little he wanted to face either Lucario or Metang in the finals. After all, both had defeated their opponents so quickly and after having such poor starts too. That terrified him beyond belief, and he was even dreading the time he would inevitably watch them face off against each-other.

"And that concludes round one," Beedrill stated over the microphone, "We will be taking a three-day break so that those advancing may rest up and ready themselves for the matches yet to come! We only hope they get more and more exciting as the tournament progresses!" the audience clapping as Lucario shot a glare at Metang briefly, the cyborg looking up at him.

And of course there were others just waiting for the chance to pummel their opponents into the ground and advance to the semi-finals. Ninetales and Scyther both gave each-other a cold glance before getting up and heading out of the area in silence. Garchomp turned to Gardevoir and gave her a smirk as the girl gulped, feeling nervous but knowing she had to to her best.

Though naturally, Machoke had chills down his spine when Golduck shot him a smirk, holding up her finger and making a neck-slitting motion with it. His match with Barbaracle was difficult enough. One could only imagine how much tougher Golduck would be especially with the way she had defeated a vampire to make her way to the second round.

Reika and Gardevoir simply patted him on the shoulder as he took a deep breath. He had to remember this was a fight between heroes and his life was not on the line.

Even with that in mind, Machoke still wanted to celebrate. However, his friends decided it was too early and chose to train when they felt they were ready.

Scyther of course started training with Scizor for her match with Ninetales immediately, Heracross helping her out while Lopunny would be cheering from the hospital for sure. And of course Lucario had gone off to train, though his training was in the mountains.

Before he set off, Amanda approached him and asked, "Lucario, do you want me to help you train?" the dog sighing, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline?" his sister folding her arms and pouting before remarking, "Is it because I don't have powers like you?"

"What!? No!" the dog retorted, Amanda tapping her foot and waiting for an explanation as he sighed, "Look, I'm going to be training in a very dangerous location. If you got hurt because of that, I could never forgive myself," Amanda letting out a sigh and smiling before nodding her head and replying, "Oh, okay. That makes sense."

With that, the two gave each-other a hug before the dog set off. However, not long after he had left Amanda's view, something strange had come over him. For some reason, he felt this sudden urge to start running up the mountain and smash every rock he saw. This would not have been so strange as breaking rocks did make for good strength training except he seemed to be getting a strange thrill from it.

All the while, Scyther was in a secluded area in a forest with Scizor as the two sat cross-legged, Scizor saying, "You've done very well to make it this far, schuler, but your next opponent is a strong one," Scyther nodding and asking, "How do you suggest I start the match?"

Scizor thought about this and replied, "Well, the main thing you need to look out for is her tails. They seem to be her strongest weapon. So, you'll need to do something about them," Scyther's eyes widening as her mother added, "I would suggest cutting them off, but she is not a villain. However, you do not need to disable them but rather use them against her, and I know how you can do that."

Scyther nodded in understanding, listening with intent. Whatever Scizor had planned, her advice almost always seemed to work, so she would certainly follow through with it.

Gardevoir was training at the gym as usual, Machoke actually deciding to join them for a change. Even Reika and her friends were there, though Tsuya was simply standing by the sidelines to watch while Reika was trying to help Cici find the right weights to start training with. After all, Gardevoir's matches had inspired Cici to start working out so that maybe she could one day be strong.

Aipom was simply relieved to see Machoke lifting weights as well, though at the same time she was standing on the sidelines telling him what to do. She would also give him water whenever he felt exhausted. After all, she could not allow the boy to overwork himself.

Gallade would have joined his sister as always if he was not currently going on a date with Hitmonchan. As for where they went, Gallade really had no plans as he was new to this, so he simply took her wherever he felt was nice, Hitmonchan enjoying the entire experience.

Starmie all the while was headed to a plane to head back to Brazil after recovering from her match with Metang. One big advantage her family had was that whenever they were knocked out, it only lasted two hours. In a sense, the gems were partly responsible for this as they simply had the ability to recharge during that time.

But before the starfish could get on a plane, she pulled a cellphone out from a backpack she had with her and dialled up some numbers thinking, 'I know this is going to cost me, but I don't care,' holding it up to her side as a voice from the other end said, "Hey, sis, what's up?"

"Hi, Staryu," Starmie replied, "You saw my match, right?" a light-brown starfish without another star attached to his back and a round gemstone for a face replying, "Yeah, about that, don't let it get you down, okay? You made it to the fighting tournament. Mom and Dad are proud enough of you for pulling that off."

Starmie nodded and replied, "You're right. Thanks, bro," Staryu asking, "Are you by chance heading home?" the starfish going silent as her brother added, "If there's something our parents have always taught us, it's good sportsmanship. Walking out and not even staying to see how the rest of the tournament goes seems a little immature, don't you think?"

Starmie took a deep breath and replied, "You're right," before nodding and adding, "I'll see just how Metang does against Lucario. Instead of resenting him, I should support him and hope my loss isn't in vain," Staryu replying, "That's the spirit."

In fact, most of the other losers had planned on sticking around to see how the rest of the tournament played out as well. Sure, Hippowdon was still in the hospital after getting stitches, but he had no intention of leaving when he had finally recovered. Of course Lopunny would never consider leaving as her friends were still competing and she loved watching matches between comrades no matter how intense they got.

Houndoom decided to stick around as well, though unlike Starmie, he was more neutral and was simply curious as to whether Golduck or Machoke would advance. Barbaracle on the other hand did want to see Machoke win, especially after he had just recently gained respect for the boy.

Roserade did not take kindly to Gardevoir, so her reason for sticking around was to watch Garchomp wipe the floor with her. She had no way of knowing whether or not that would happen, but she still hoped it would. And of course Primeape was going to stick around as well.

The only loser who had not decided to stay in Tokyo was Lairon. It was not that he was spiteful toward Garchomp. If anything, he was thankful for her exposing his true self and teaching him a valuable lesson. He simply wanted to use that lesson as soon as possible and start improving himself.

The next two days went by rather quickly as it was time for the Olympics to resume. Beedrill had announced that the first match would take place in a training dojo. Scyther was especially happy with this arrangement as she knew there would be equipment for her to prepare herself with.

And she took full advantage of this by preparing herself in a separate room, Reika walking down the hall to where she was training and taking a deep breath. All the while, she was biting her lip thinking, 'I'm just going to go in there and wish her good luck, nothing more. After all, she's my friend so it only makes sense that I would care about her well-being, right?'

However, just as she was about to do so, she noticed Machoke headed for the room and panicked, hiding from his vision. All the while, she had no clue why she had just reacted like that. After all, he would have nothing against Reika wanting to wish Scyther luck, right? So why had she panicked and why was she still hiding from his view even with that knowledge in mind? She was so confused right now.

Machoke noticed Scyther had finished training was simply gathering strength and energy for the match, the boy saying, "Hey, Scyther," the insect looking up and smiling before replying, "Guten tag, Machoke. What brings you here?" the boy replying, "Just wanted to wish you the best. Your opponent's really scary."

The insect snickered and replied, "Well, I don't get intimidated by foes like that. I see them as a good challenge," Machoke sighing, "God, am I the only sane hero in this universe?" Scyther laughing when Machoke suddenly noticed a box next to Scyther.

"What's this?" Machoke asked as Scyther replied, "It's a box of sausages. I always bring one with me before matches. I find eating a few gets my spirits up," Machoke grinning and replying, "Well, eating before a match would certainly get me going, that's for sure."

Scyther nodded and pulled out one, taking a bite out of it and asking, "Would you like some?" Machoke's eyes sparkling as he asked, "Can I?" the insect nodding as the boy replied, "Thanks, I think I'll just take a few," the boy pulling out ten before stuffing his face full of them, exclaiming, "Wow! These are the best sausages I've ever had!"

Scyther snickered and replied, "Danke. I made them myself," Machoke staring as she added, "It's a secret family recipe. I don't know whether or not they actually make me stronger, but they always make me feel stronger."

"Funny," Machoke replied, "You don't seem the type who would actually need reassurance before a match," Scyther nodding and saying, "I can see why you'd say that, but it's true. Even I need that little bit of reassurance."

"Well, do your best out there," Machoke replied, holding out his hand and adding, "Maybe we'll face each-other in the semi-finals," Scyther nodding and stating, "I'd like that," shaking his hand.

Reika had overheard the entire conversation and smiled a bit. It always amazed her when Machoke could muster up legitimate caring for what was going on when he such a child a lot of the time. And on that note, the girl simply headed to the bleachers, still unsure about herself right now.

Soon enough, the bleachers were filled as the area was filling with excitement, Heracross deciding to watch Scyther's match this time. Lopunny figured the insect would need him there for moral support and he saw where she was coming from.

"Welcome, everyone to the beginning of the second round of the Hero Olympics!" Beedrill exclaimed as the crowd clapped and cheered, the wasp adding, "The first round brought us some really intense matches, but today is certain to bring us even more excitement! Will Nori announce the participants?"

Nori nodded and exclaimed, "In the red corner, representing North Korea, a fiery fox who has beaten Lopunny to make her way to the second round, the beautiful and powerful Ninetales!" the Korean fans along with some other members of the crowd going wild when suddenly, a light came from the Western entrance. A silhouette of a fox with a sun behind it appeared when soon enough, the light faded to reveal this was of course Ninetales with her tails spread out in a sun formation.

"And Ninetales treats us to a simple but still very effective entrance," Nori stated, Machoke simply folding his arms and grumbling, "What was so special about that? Anyone can just pull off a light show and make shadow images," Aipom shaking her head, not even wanting to respond to this.

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "hailing from Germany, having defeated Hippowdon, the meat cutter from Berlin, Scyther!" the German fans going wild along with Scyther's friends when the insect simply walked toward the ring with Scizor by her side, Nori adding, "And as always, Scyther is joined by her trainer and mother, Scizor."

"Turn her into mincemeat pie!" Heracross spat with a big grin on his face. Even Gardevoir was wearing a T-shirt with Scyther striking a cool pose and shouting, "YEAH, SCYTHER, KICK HER ASS!" everyone staring as Gallade asked, "Did you just say what I think you said?" the girl blinking, her cheeks turning pink as she squeaked, "Yeah I did."

The boy grinned and ruffled his sister's hair, exclaiming, "You really are growing up!" said hair quickly returning to normal. Even ruffling could not change it for long, Reika and her friends looking envious.

Ninetales simply looked at Scyther when she entered the ring and bowed her head, saying, "I've been looking forward to facing you," the insect frowning and remarking, "If you think I'm going to take you lightly, you're mistaken," the kitsune blinking and replying, "I wouldn't dream of it."

With that, Beedrill added, "One last thing to note before we kick off!" Weedle sighing, "Better late than never," as the wasp explained, "Since there are less matches today, we will be switching locations after every match as opposed to every second match, meaning you we will be relocating immediately after this one," the audience shrugging and nodding in understanding.

With all said and done, Beedrill rang the bell and exclaimed, "And on that note, begin!" Scyther immediately sprinting toward Ninetales, the kitsune's waiting for her to get close so she could attack. However, Scyther seemed to surprise her when she swerved to the right after almost getting close enough to hit her.

The German fans went wild as the insect got behind Ninetales and stretched out her arms wide enough for her to get just close enough to wrap them around her tails, the crowd gasping as Nori exclaimed, "In a shocking starting tactic, Scyther has grabbed onto Ninetales', well, tails!"

And it did not end there as Scyther started swinging the kitsune around with the intention of sending her into the turnbuckle, Scizor nodding and thinking, 'Good job, Scyther. Just like we planned,' Machoke grinning and exclaiming, "ALRIGHT, WAY TO GO!" Aipom uttering, "You do know you'll have to face her if she wins, right?" Machoke narrowing his eyelids and remarking, "For someone who likes to preach politeness, you seem like a bad sport."

The monkey's cheeks turned pink as Reika laughed nervously, replying, "I hate to admit it, but he has a point," Blaziken added, "Yeah, just be glad our friend is doing a good job."

However, it seemed Scyther was not doing as well as she thought when Ninetales simply sported a small smile, saying, "I'm impressed you actually managed to pull that off, but I had a method to get out of this," the kitsune balling up the ends of her tails before shouting, "KITSUNE BARRAGE!" sending a series of punches into Scyther's back, the insect's eyes widening as she released her hold on the tails.

Scizor stared in shock, uttering, "How did I overlook the possibility? She uses her tails as her ultimate weapon and I never thought she could use them for that purpose."

As if that was not bad enough, Scyther would soon be taking in more pain to her back as Ninetales wrapped two tails around her legs, two around her arms and two around her torso. One was used to trap her neck in place while the last two added to the pressure by pulling up on her chin, Ninetales placing the insect against her back and shouting, "KITSUNE BACKBREAKER!"

The Korean fans cheered wildly as Scyther's friends stared in horror. The insect had fallen victim to the very move that had started Lopunny's downward spiral from success, her eyes and mouth wide open while her back was being bent.


	48. Chapter 48

Scyther could not believe it. Scizor's strategy seemed logical and yet Ninetales had once again demonstrated more of what her tails were capable of as she now had the insect in her Kitsune Backbreaker.

Reika bit her lip as Machoke groaned, "Oh no, it took almost all of Lopunny's energy to get out of that," Aipom nodding and replying, "I have to say, this doesn't look good."

The Korean fans were going wild while the German fans were beyond worried that this would end up being another short match until Scizor gritted her teeth, barking, "SCYTHER, STOP CRYING OUT IN PAIN THIS INSTANT!"

Scyther's eyes widened as she uttered, "What do you mean?" Scizor remarking, "Ever since you were three, I have put you through hellish training by your own request! You've always told me that you could handle it and that was the only reason I let you undertake it, and now you're dealing with an attack that can't even compare to that training and you act like you've already lost!"

Ninetales felt rather irritated by Scizor's words but tried not to show it as Scyther gritted her teeth, thinking, 'Mother's right. I'm acting like this is the end, but compared to the training I have undergone my whole life, this is nothing!'

With that, the insect simply twisted her wrists, freeing them from the tails holding them before prying her ankles out of the two bottom ones. With that, she threw both arms and feet backward, hitting Ninetales hard in the back as her eyes widened, the kitsune releasing her hold on her while the German fans cheered wildly.

"Wow, what an escape!" Machoke exclaimed with a big smile, "Show her who's boss!" Scyther dashing to Ninetales' side and kicking her on the side of the head to distract her long enough for her to back away and come up with a way around her attacks.

"It looked like this would be another quick match," Nori stated, "but just as all looked lost, Scyther managed to pull through with a miraculous escape! Let's hope we can see more impressive moves from her after that!"

Ninetales took a deep breath and said, "Well, you certainly are a cut above your friends, that's for sure," Scyther blinking as the kitsune said nothing more before holding up a defensive stance, waiting for the insect to make another move.

'Good job getting out of that one,' Scizor thought, 'but she might have more up her sleeve. At least now we know getting that getting behind her is a bad idea in general. I never should have suggested going for the tail. We need to think of another method to beat her, but what?'

Scyther awaited further instruction as Scizor said, "Try going in for the attack for now. I'll let you know if you need to change tactics," her daughter nodding and charging toward Ninetales, sending a roundhouse toward the kitsune's face.

Ninetales simply held up her arm to block the move as Scyther smirked, lifting up her other leg thus allowing both to latch onto the kitsune's arm, her eyes widening as the insect proceeded to warp her arms around it as well, pulling on it hard. The German fans cheered wildly along with Scyther's friends, things truly starting to look up.

However, Scizor's eyes widened when she noticed Ninetales lifting up her tails, bringing the upper-most one toward Scyther's back as the mother spat, "SCYTHER, BEHIND YOU!"

The insect nodded and released her hold on Ninetales, sending a roundhouse into her gut and once again backing away from her while the German fans cheered louder, Nori saying, "Scyther's really fighting logically now. After falling for Ninetales' tactics, she is doing her best to make sure it never happens again."

"Yes, you really are putting more effort into this," Ninetales stated, "but is it really you who's doing your best?" Scyther's eyes widening as the kitsune continued, "It's easy to see how you were able to make it so far in the Olympics when your friends could not. You have a really good teacher, someone who has seen many battles in her time and knows a lot about combat."

Scizor's eyes widened as she thought, 'She's not going where I think she's going with this, is she?' Scyther seeming to think the same thing as she said, "If you're trying to turn me against my mother like Talonflame did, you're wasting your time. I made a mistake going against her wishes and doubting her, but I'm never letting that happen again."

Scizor smiled until Ninetales replied, "Oh no, I have no doubt that your mother is pure of heart. After all, she fought alongside Machamp back in her prime and her teachers are beneficial, but I have a question to ask."

Everyone stared as Reika and Gardevoir were both worried about where this was going, Ninetales asking, "Have you ever beaten someone by yourself?" Scyther's eyes widened as the kitsune added, "I mean, I don't I've ever heard of your winning a match without Scizor's advice. The one time you chose not to listen to her, you lost miserably if I'm not mistaken."

Scyther was about to retort when Ninetales added, "And I'm not referring to whatever instructor you fought on Hero Planet to graduate. After all, they hardly count as they've lost quite a bit of strength over the years. I mean the young fighters here on Earth."

The crowd gasped, Machoke uttering, "You know, I hate to admit it, but she has a point," Reika and Aipom not even sure whether to smack him or not. After all, as negative as that statement had been, they had trouble finding an argument against it.

Even Scizor was at a loss for words as Scyther sighed, "Yes, that is true, but I know it is because I am simply not ready yet. When I am, my mother will let me know, but until then, I will always trust her advice," Scizor blinking and putting on a serious expression, nodding her head as she was very happy to hear these words.

Ninetales simply shrugged and replied, "Well, it's your choice," before adding, "I just always heard that you were an amazing fighter, but it seems I was wrong," Scyther's eyes wide as Scizor exclaimed, "Don't listen to her words!" Scyther ignoring her mother and gritting her teeth, barking, "I AM STRONG!"

With that, the insect charged toward the kitsune and wrapped her arms around her front. Ninetales attempted to grab onto her wrists with her tail but Scyther refused to give her the time as she leaned backward, planting the kitsune's head into the canvas while the German fans went wild.

However, Ninetales ignored the pain and slipped out of Scyther's hold, the insect's eyes widening as the fox proceeded to plant her feet into her chest, knocking her hard on her back. The Korean fans were now cheering as the kitsune proceeded to sit on her gut, using her tails to lock her legs in place while using her arms to pull on the insect's chin.

Scizor let out a sigh as Scyther groaned, "Oh no, I fell into this trap again. I'm sorry, lehrer," Ninetales sighing, "Don't apologize to your mentor. The truth is, you knew a way around this move but you refused to use it because of a lack of confidence."

"What the hell is she talking about?" Machoke asked, "I saw plenty of confidence there," Aipom replying, "I think she means something else," Reika remarking, "Like what?"

Heracross gulped and uttered, "If this is going where I think it is, Scyther might be doomed," the insect asking, "Where are you going with this, Ninetales?"

"You see, it's not so much that you're not ready yet but rather it's that you think you're not ready," the kitsune replied as Scyther's eyes widened, the insect retorting, "Are you implying that my lehrer is lying to me!?"

"Oh, heavens no," Ninetales replied, Scizor tilting her head in confusion as she added, "You see that? The truth is, she is just as unaware of your true potential as you are. Not only is she holding you back, but so are you, so in a sense, you're both to blame for this."

"Is she just spouting random crap now?" Blaziken asked, Gallade shaking his head and replying, "No, she's onto something, and I hate to admit it, but I think she might be right," Hitmonchan not even sure what to say to this as Gardevoir bit her lip, also thinking the same thing Gallade was.

"So you're saying I've been ready to fight on my own all along and neither of us has been aware of this fact?" Scyther asked as Ninetales nodded, replying, "It happens with a lot of families, and this is no different. Your mentor, no, your mother has become so attached to you as a student that she refuses to let you go, convincing not just you but also herself that you're not ready to take flight and leave the nest. I think it's high time you try to prove her wrong, don't you think?"

Scyther took a deep breath as Scizor remarked, "She's trying to mess with you and get you to make more mistakes! Don't let her get under your skin!" her daughter retorting, "No, Mother! She is right!" all going silent in the crowd as she added, "It's time we both faced reality! I'm not a child anymore! I'm fifteen now, just three years away from the day I become a woman and if I can't be independent, then that day will never come!"

With that in mind, the insect proceeded to apply as much force as possible to her legs, throwing them as Ninetales' eyes widened, the kitsune no longer able to hold onto her chin as she was flung toward the turnbuckle, the back of her head ramming into it. The German fans went wild as Machoke said, "So that's what she meant," Reika tilting her head to the side and adding, "I really should have been able to catch onto that," Blaziken shrugging and saying, "Well, it seems like she might have been right."

'I don't know,' Gardevoir thought with a look of discontent, 'I still get the feeling she's walking into a trap, but I can't be too certain. I don't know what it is, but Ninetales just rubs me the wrong way.'

"That felt nice, didn't it?" Ninetales asked with a soft smile, "The thrill of getting out of that hold without Scizor's words to encourage you," Scyther nodding and replying, "Yeah, it did feel good," Scizor saying, "Yeah, I admit, that was fairly impressive, but don't let it get to your-"

However, she was cut off when Scyther turned to her and said, "I'm very thankful for all the advice you have given me over the years, but it's time I start fighting on my own terms, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't give me any advice right now, okay, Mother?" Scizor's eyes widening, her jaw dropped.

Sure, she had dealt with this before. She knew Scyther was not always able to control her emotions, but this case was different. When Talonflame had tried a similar tactic, Scyther had lost her temper and lashed out against her mother. This time she was not only referring to her as Mother instead of lehrer but her voice was calm meaning she was in full control and knew exactly what she was saying and doing. Was Ninetales right? Had Scizor been wrong to continue giving her advice? Was all her training and mothering more detrimental than helpful?

All she could do was watch in silence as Scyther headed toward Ninetales saying, "I also know exactly how to stop your tails," the insect sending a barrage of punches toward the kitsune. However, Ninetales was ready for this as she backed away from the punches until Scyther started to slow down, the kitsune grabbing her wrists.

However, Scyther was now more confident in her abilities than ever before as she simply twisted her wrists in the same direction Ninetales had attempted to, sliding them out of her grip. After that, she proceeded to send a roundhouse toward her side, Ninetales blocking it with her arm only for Scyther to lift up her other, leg, kicking the kitsune in her midsection.

Having both legs up easily could have caused her to fall on her back but it did not as the insect simply latched both of her legs onto Ninetales' sides. However, the kitsune saw this as the perfect opportunity as she moved her two middle tails forward, managed to get them far enough to grab onto Scyther's ankles.

The insect's eyes widened with shock as Blaziken said, "Dammit, I had a feeling that was gonna happen," Ninetales lifting Scyther up and placing her against her back saying, "You put up a good fight, but this match is still mine."

With that, she proceeded to bind the insect in place, this time applying an even stronger grip so Scyther would not be able to escape. However, Scyther had a new plan as she took a deep breath, saying, "Forgive me, Mother. I understand your reasons for not wanting me to do this, but I'm fighting my own way now."

Scizor's eyes widened at the sound of this, Heracross asking, "Does she mean what I think she does?" the others staring silently as Machoke asked, "What do you mean?"

It seemed Heracross and Scizor's fears were right as Scyther lashed out her arms blades shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" slicing the tails binding her arms in half as Ninetales' eyes widened, the kitsune crying out in pain. Now Gardevoir was really confused. Had Ninetales really not expected this to happen?

"Oh my god, how barbaric!" Nori exclaimed, "In order to free herself, Scyther had cut off all nine of Ninetales' tails! Wow, that sounded redundant," Beedrill and Weedle also shocked as Weedle uttered, "That might have been going too far," Beedrill asking, "Is it against the rules?" Weedle replying, "Only if it kills her."

That thought would have to wait as Scyther proceeded to cut open all of her other tails, taking a deep breath and grunting, "There, now you can't use those cheap tails of yours against me, and I know how helpful they are to you!" Ninetales' look of pain turning to a devious smile as she chuckled wickedly.

Everyone stared in confusion, even the Korean fans. Needless to say, no one had ever cut off those tails before, so it was weird seeing Ninetales acting so positive about such a thing. Though they also could not rule out the possibility that such a shocker could have made her crazy.

"I'll admit, you have a lot of daring to try something like that," Ninetales said, "Unfortunately for you, cutting off my tails is the biggest mistake you could have ever made," Scyther rather confused by this statement before she suddenly noticed there was no blood coming from the halves that remained, but why? How could Ninetales not be bleeding after that?

It seemed there was a good reason for this as the halves that had been sliced off rose up from the mat as if by magic, everyone staring in absolute shock as Nori stated, "And in an unexpected turn of events, the tails are now floating," Beedrill asking, "Did you know they could do that?" Weedle shaking his head and replying, "It's never been witnessed before."

Scyther had no idea how to respond, Scizor equally confused as the tails flew at the insect, one striking her in the face while the others smacked her in various other spots. After that, they proceeded to bind themselves to her as Ninetales walked over calmly, strutting past Scyther and getting behind the insect, her tails reattaching to the halves still connected to her rear end.

"Oh my god, that fox lady scares me even more now!" Machoke exclaimed, Aipom holding onto his arm and squeaking, "For once I agree!" Reika biting her lip.

"Why, thank you," the kitsune said with a smile, "You made yourself an even easier target," Scyther gritting her teeth and shouting, "NO!" before cutting open the tails again only this time getting the ends so they would fall off in their entirety.

She figured maybe the only reason they worked like they did before was because traces of them were still attached. However, it seemed her theory was wrong when the tails rose up again, this time whipping the insect a few times before reattaching themselves to Ninetales' backside again.

"Try all you like, but my tails will never permanently come off," Ninetales said with a calm look, "See, I took a ritual a long time ago that gave me a spiritual link to them. No matter how many times you chop them down, they will always return as if they had never been removed, but not before getting a little vengeance on the one who removed them in the first place."

Scyther simply gritted her teeth, convincing herself that this was okay. Surely she could just come up with a countermeasure for this. After all, she no longer needed her mother's help, right?

However, it was at that moment that she remembered something. After she had managed cut off the tails entirely, she had noticed something on the kitsune's back just slightly above her rear end.

"Excuse me," Scyther said, Ninetales giving her an odd look as she asked, "but I have to ask. Are you actually a hero?" all going silent as one Korean audience member asking, "What's she talking about? Of course Ninetales is a hero," another adding, "She's probably just spiteful that she has such amazing powers," Weedle also giving Scyther an odd look.

"Scyther, you should never question the purity of one's heart just because they have powers that might seem demonic," Scizor said as the insect retorted, "No, Mother, I have a good reason for asking this," Ninetales asking, "Well, this is a very serious question, so I'm very curious about this. Why would you think I'm not on the side of good?"

Scyther took a deep breath and remarked, "It's because when I cut off your tails, I noticed a tattoo with the Korean letter for evil!" all going silent as Machoke asked, "Wait, she can read Korean?" Aipom nodding and replying, "That actually would make sense. According to Mommy, Scizor was fluent in writing various different languages. Korean could have been among one of them."

"Aipom's right," Scyther replied, "I have studied Korean," Ninetales' eyes wide open as she actually seemed shocked by this. Now she wanted to know if this was true, thus she turned her head around just enough for her to be to see this alleged tattoo, lowering her tails and exposing it, the Korean fans gasping in shock when they gazed upon it.

"Is that the Korean tattoo for evil?" Beedrill asked as Weedle nodded and replied, "Yes. Scyther was correct," however, this did not seem to prove a whole lot as Ninetales looked just as surprised as everyone else, uttering, "I've never seen this tattoo before in my life."

However, while those words alone created many questions in the minds of viewers, the crowd was even more confused when she added, "Though at the same time, it makes sense why that word would be there," Scyther asking, "Wait, you've never seen it before but you know why it's there?"

The kitsune took a deep breath and nodded her head, adding, "I guess the truth had to come out sooner than later," Nori blinking and saying, "After that mysterious tail-floating technique, it seems Ninetales has another secret to share with us," Heracross and Gardevoir both looking very uncomfortable right now.

"I've tried to run away from this fact, but the truth is, my parents were villains," Ninetales explained as the crowd gasped, Scizor and Scyther's eyes the widest right now as the kitsune continued, "My mother, Vulpix, I've heard was one of the most dangerous villains in existence," Weedle taking a deep breath and saying, "She's right about Vulpix being dangerous. I saw her in action back in the day, though I'm surprised I didn't see the family resemblance."

When Ninetales saw the shocked looks in the audience, Reika gritting her teeth in fury, Ninetales took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Worry not, fair citizens, for I have not chosen to follow in my parents' footsteps! I didn't even know who they were or that they were evil until I was ten! I can only assume this tattoo was put on me shortly after I was born because I have no recollection of getting it!"

The crowd started to calm down a bit, Beedrill sighing, "That's good to hear. We might have had to disqualify her," Weedle grunting, "Well, the fact that we have no file on her parents is bordering on that outcome," Scyther blinking and asking, "So, wait, how did you find out about this when you were ten?"

"My old master told me," Ninetales replied, "See, when I was born, my parents came up with a devious scheme to have me trained by someone with a good heart so that one day I would know how to defeat heroes and bring them to their knees. As such, they sported disguises and gave me to a woman named Hyun, telling her they wanted her to build me into the perfect hero. But since they did not want me to spend my life wondering who my real parents were, they also wanted her to tell me about their existence when I had met her expectations."

"Oh my god," Aipom uttered, Machoke asking, "You know this Hyun person?" the others rather curious as Aipom replied, "Yeah, I read about her in a book once. She was the only human fighter in the world whose strength could match that of a creature like us," Cici uttering, "So it's possible?" the monkey nodding.

"Wait, was?" Machoke remarked as Aipom sighed, "Unfortunately, she died five years ago. They say it was a training accident."

"Hyun agreed to take me in," Ninetales explained, "but at the same time, she could tell that my parents were plotting something and as such decided she was never going to return me to them. The truth was that they had underestimated her knowledge for she had seen through their disguises and knew they were lying."

"So why would she tell you about them?" Scyther remarked as the kitsune continued, "To protect me from them. She wanted me to know just how evil they were, so when I had finally mastered her techniques, she told me never to seek them out or follow in their footsteps."

"Okay, so she's still on the side of good," Gallade said with a shrug, "At least we don't have to worry about her being another Talonflame," Gardevoir still looking unsure as Ninetales added, "It was shortly after that a news bulletin had been posted about the great Vulpix finally being struck down and I had to see it for myself, so I managed to find her grave, just wanting to see the name of the villain who spawned me. However, when I gazed upon her tombstone, I felt happy, like a huge burden had just been lifted. I did not shed a tear but instead rejoiced knowing someone so dangerous had been removed from existence."

However, while the audience looked relieved to hear this, Scyther on the other hand looked downright furious. Her teeth were gritted and her body was shaking, her fists clenched. But what reason did she have to be so upset? Even Scizor had no idea what was going through her head right now.

"You're despicable," the insect uttered, everyone staring as Nori asked, "What could Scyther possibly mean by such a bold statement?" Machoke saying, "Yeah, I don't get it. Why would that upset her so much?" everyone turning to Heracross who shrugged and replied, "Dinnae look at me. I've never seen her get upset over someone being good before."

However, it seemed Scyther had a different reason as she snapped, "How can you not feel bad about the death of your parents!?" all going silent as Ninetales asked, "Were you even listening to my story?" the insect remarking, "Yes, but it doesn't matter whether or not they were evil! They were still your parents! You should have at least had one tear knowing you would never get a chance to meet them!"

"Forgive me, but that's none of your concern," Ninetales retorted with a scowl as Scyther spat, "YES IT IS!" the insect charging toward her while Scizor gritted her teeth, Machoke asking, "Wait, why's she so upset about that?" Reika sighing, "It's because her father died before she was born, remember?"

The others stared at her as the girl added, "Scizor explained to us that he was murdered while she was pregnant with Scyther. As such, Scyther never knew him. It's probably a personal subject for her," and it seemed Reika's words were true as Scyther lashed out her arm blades again shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" slicing Ninetales down the middle and forming a huge gash, the German fans going wild as Scizor stared in absolute horror.


	49. Chapter 49

Disclaimer: The cloaked figure was a character thought up by one of my best friends. I've been considering for some time whether or not I would use this character and after a lot of thought, I've figured out how I can work her into the story.

Ninetales had a look of absolute pain on her face after being slashed across the chest. Scyther took a few deed breathes with her arm blades stretched out, the one she had struck her with now dabbed in a bit of the kitsune's blood.

"I'm sorry, Ninetales, but I simply can't forgive someone who doesn't have at least some ounce of feeling for her mother, be her good or evil," Scyther said with a cold look in her eyes as Scizor snapped, "SCYTHER, THAT WAS FAR MORE BRUTAL THAN IT NEEDED TO BE!" the crowd staring at her.

Scyther turned to face her mother as she added, "I told you to only use that amount of force when facing a villain, not a hero! No matter how difficult the circumstances, we should never resort to such extremes against a hero! You could have killed her with that!"

"SHUT UP, I DIDN'T!" Scyther retorted as Scizor's eyes widened, her daughter taking a deep breath and sighing, "I told you, Mother, I'm fighting with my own methods now. If I feel an extreme amount of force is necessary, I will use it as long as it helps me win!" then pointing at Ninetales and adding, "Just look at how effective that was! If I had followed your method, I wouldn't have done nearly as much damage!"

"I hate to say it, but that's another good point," Gallade replied, Gardevoir squeaking, "But it's wrong! Scizor's right! I understand wanting to beat her opponents, but she shouldn't feel the need to kill them!"

"I wouldn't worry too much about my health, Scizor," Ninetales said much to everyone's surprise as a blue flame surrounded her body, the gash suddenly vanishing as Nori said, "It seems Ninetales has used some kind of spell to seal her wound. Does that mean she can recover from any damage dealt to her?"

The kitsune shook her head and replied, "Oh no, that technique only removes open wounds. All the damage dealt earlier has not been rendered meaningless," Scyther simply charging toward the kitsune and shouting, "STAY DOWN THIS TIME!"

However, Ninetales was ready this time as she turned her body around and bending over, allowing Scyther to subconsciously slice off her tails. The insect's eyes widened as Scizor bit her lip, knowing exact what was coming.

However, just as soon as Scyther's look of shock came, it left her as she at least knew the tails were coming and was ready. When they floated up, the insect immediately raced toward them, delivering a fierce onslaught of slashes and slicing them up into many fragments. However, fear took over when she noticed Ninetales did not look the least bit worried about this.

"Oh god, she just made things worse for herself, didn't she?" Machoke groaned, Reika getting up from her seat with a look of anger in her eyes, the girl saying, "Excuse me," before leaving her seat in the bleachers and running down the stairs, the others staring in confusion.

And it was just as Machoke had feared for as soon as the tails had been cut, the fragments all directed themselves toward Scyther, Ninetales saying, "You just set yourself up for an even more deadly form of vengeance, Tail Gatling Gun," the insect's eyes going wide as all of the fragments flew straight into her back one-by-one at rapid speed, the insect coughing up blood.

All went silent as the fragments of the tail reconnected, the now-complete tails wrapping themselves around Scyther. However, this time the tails latched to her arms were grabbing her wrists, just barely avoiding the arm blades as Ninetales reconnected them to her rear end. To make matters worse, the tails also twisted Scyther's wrists and ankles, causing intense pain.

Reika ran over to the ring and snapped, "SCYTHER, LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! YOU STOPPED TAKING SCIZOR'S ADVICE AND GOT YOURSELF CAUGHT! IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU'LL TAKE YOUR MOTHER'S ADVICE!" Scyther's eyes going wide as the girl turned to Scizor, sighing, "Sorry to doing your job just now."

"Nein," Scizor remarked, "I should be apologizing for rendering your words meaningless," Reika staring in confusion until the bug pointed at her daughter, Scyther's arm blades leaving while her back was being bent, Ninetales shouting, "KITSUNE BACKBREAKER!"

"Even if Scyther was willing to listen to me, it would do no good at this point," Scizor stated with a sigh, "and to be perfectly honest, I don't think I should tell her what to do anymore," Reika's eyes going wide as Scizor added, "I appreciate you going to the effort to try and save her, but she's taken in too much damage and expelled too much energy now."

"You don't know that!" Reika retorted, "She could find some energy within!" tears rolling down Scyther's cheeks as she sniffed, "I hate to say it, Reika, but Mother's right. I can't feel my arms or legs right now," Reika shouting, "No! You're not a quitter, Scyther!"

"It's my fault," Scyther sighed, "again. I should have known it was still too early for me to act on my own," Scizor remarking, "Nein!" everyone staring in absolute shock, Nori and Beedrill having no comment for this as the mother added, "The truth is, Scyther, Ninetales is right. You are old enough to think for yourself now and you probably could have come up with a great strategy for this match if I had given you more time to think for yourself. I may have built you into a great fighter, but I'm keeping you from unleashing your true potential. Even a lehrer has her limits, and I reached mine long ago."

Both insects let down light tears as Reika started to understand, the girl taking a deep breath and nodding. However, her look of acceptance immediately turned back to serious doubt when Ninetales leapt high above the ring and into the air, flipping Scyther upside-down while the German fans stared in horror.

"SCYTHER!" Scizor spat, tears running down her face as Reika bit her lip, wishing her words really could have made a difference. If only she had not waited so long.

It was far too late now as Ninetales said, "This is all very touching, but don't forget we still have to end this match at some point," the kitsune descending toward the mat and shouting, "KITSUNE DRIVER!" slamming Scyther's head hard into the canvas.

Heracross and Machoke both stared in horror while Gardevoir whimpered. Gallade and Hitmonchan hugged one-another while Cici's lip was quivering, Tsuya simply aghast. Blaziken had sort of seen this coming but still had trouble believing things had really gone this far.

In a nearby hospital, Lopunny had seen this on TV and squeaked, "SCYTHER!" the rabbit about to get up just to get close to the screen when the nurses and doctors entered, reminding her that she still needed her rest.

Scyther's body collapsed when Ninetales released her hold on the insect, all going silent as Beedrill gulped after ten seconds, ringing the bell and exclaiming, "And the winner of the first match of the second round is Ninetales!" the Korean fans cheering while Scizor simply looked down, sighing, "Danke, Reika, for trying your best," Reika not even sure if she could really call her efforts worth it. Again, she wished she had acted sooner.

Ninetales took a deep breath, walking over to Scyther and leaning down saying, "Sorry to be so rough," the kitsune about to help her get to the ambulance parked nearby only for Scizor to shout, "NEIN!" the kitsune staring as the bug entered the ring, walking over to her pupil and saying, "Danke, but I'll take care of it," Ninetales nodding and replying, "I understand."

Gardevoir simply looked unsure of her motives as Machoke sighed, "Well, on the upside, at least she's not evil," Gallade saying, "Hey, evil parents don't always equal evil kids, right?"

Heracross simply did not care about the conversation as he got up from his seat, running over to Scyther and asking, "Are you okay, lassie?" Scyther coughing and mustering up some energy after being loaded up onto a hospital bed, saying, "I'll be okay."

Reika let out a sigh as Scyther added, "Don't look so down, Reika. I'm glad you tried to help set me straight," before looking at her mother, just about to say more as Scizor sighed, "Don't apologize, Scyther. I've been holding you back for too long. It's time to learn how to come up with strategies on your own so that someday, you won't need me looking out for you anymore."

The others soon ran to Scyther's side as Machoke looked at her then up at Ninetales with fear, the kitsune shooting him a quick glance before exiting the area, knowing she would have to relocate to see the next match anyway. All the while, Beedrill announced the next location, that being the inside of an abandoned factory. Weedle apparently figured that would be a good intense location to fight in, Machoke once again mentally questioning the caterpillar's sanity.

"Hey, Machoke, you're fighting in the next match, right?" Scyther asked, her voice getting weaker as Machoke nodded, replying, "Yeah, why?" the insect replying, "Promise me that if you beat Golduck, you'll defeat Ninetales," Machoke nodding and replying, "Yeah, I'll make her pay."

With that, Scyther's eye closed as she was now napping, the medics wheeling her into the ambulance and taking off. All the while, Reika noticed Machoke's legs trembling. He was already starting to regret his promise, but she had a feeling he would come around in the end. He always seemed to do that.

Thankfully, Machoke would have plenty of time to prepare himself for the next match. Aipom gave him a look as he assured her he would spend his time readying himself, the monkey very happy to hear this. After all, the boy needed to defeat Golduck if he was to even attempt to keep his promise.

And just like the previous day, all of the heroes had been given a ride to the next location, though since there were only seven participants left, they all got to share one ride. Machoke was trying to take this time to relax when suddenly, the thought of facing Ninetales made him tense up.

As if that was not bad enough, he could also see Golduck shooting him death glares, a wicked smirk on her face as she made a cross-cut motion with one of her claws. The boy groaned, now questioning why he had entered the Hero Olympics in the first place.

During this time, the others had found their own way to get to the abandoned factory, Reika sighing, "I have to admit, I'm a little worried entering an abandoned factory," Tsuya replying, "I know what you mean. There's probably rats in there."

However, the two were shocked to see Cici with a serious look in her eyes, the girl saying, "Yes, but we need to support our friend," both staring wide-eyed as she entered the building, Aipom turning to them and saying, "I guess she must have been inspired by the story of Hyun."

All the while, Gallade and Blaziken had already arrived long before Reika and the others, the two looking around as Blaziken asked, "So, what do you suppose this factory was for?" Gallade replying, "I heard it was a cigarette factory," the chicken narrowing her eyelids and saying, "So it's not a big loss, then."

While the two looked around some more, Blaziken caught something in the corner of her eye, the chicken turning only to see nothing there. She blinked and figured she must have been seeing things as she and Gallade continued onward, Hitmonchan all the while having gone to the bleachers early to save Gallade a seat.

However, Blaziken had not imagined what she saw as there was a cloaked figure walking around. She had actually not been watching Blaziken or Gallade but had rather been headed toward the bleachers with the intention of not being seen yet. But what brought this stranger here was anyone's guess.

However, while she carried down the hall, she noticed a rat scurry past her and freaked out, covering her mouth to avoid screaming in terror before noticing a nearby bathroom, racing into it and squeaking, "EW, A RAT!"

She then took a deep breath thinking, 'Thank the lord no one was around to see that,' striking a more calm and collective look before exiting the bathroom and resumed her trip to the bleachers.

All the while, Cici had absolutely surprised Aipom, Reika and Tsuya when wandering the halls. They had come across ten rats and the girl had not even batted an eyelash at them. She was really intent on being tough, though what her friends did not notice was how much trouble she was having as nervous sweat poured down her face every time she saw one of the rodents.

The girl then remembered something important as she asked, "Hey, Tsuya, you have a coke earlier, right?" Tsuya's eyes going wide as she groaned, "Now that you mention it..." the girl then sprinting off from the area in search of a bathroom, actually having a bit of trouble finding one despite the cloaked figure having such an easy time.

Cici then looked at Reika and asked, "Um, Reika, remember how I wanted to ask you a question back at the spa?" the girl nodding and replying, "Yeah, but you said it wasn't important," her friend sighing, "Well, I lied about that part, kind of."

Reika then took a deep breath and said, "I see, it's personal," the girl then looking around and patting Cici on the shoulder while adding, "Well, we're alone right now, so ask away."

"Well, I thought you had feelings for Machoke, but you don't seem interested in him anymore," Cici replied, Reika's eyes going wide as she remarked, "For the last time, I have never been interested in him!" Cici taking a deep breath and replying, "No one else is around," Reika sighing, "Alright, it's true. I used to have a thing for that moron," the girl pouting and folding her arms.

However, she could not resist the desire to explain herself further as she stated, "It's just like my mom said. There's this strange, cute charm to his family. On one hand, he's childish, but on the other hand, that makes him fun. On one hand, he has trouble fighting his opponents, but on the other hand, he always pulls through in the end. He's always saying such cool and smart things, showing lots of wisdom for someone who seems so dumb."

"But you don't have feelings for him anymore," Cici replied as Reika nodded, replying, "Yes, but where are you going with this?"

Cici simply bit her lip, figuring it would be wrong to make this more awkward as she replied, "I was just wondering," Reika's eyes then widening as she exclaimed, "Oh my god, you have a crush on Machoke, don't you!?"

Cici's eyes widened as she squeaked, "No way! He's way too eccentric for me!" Reika then sighing, "Oh yeah, you don't plan to start dating until adulthood," Cici nodding and taking a deep breath.

With that, Tsuya returned and sighed, "They need more bathrooms here," the trio heading off toward the bleachers as Reika all the while started thinking about something else. The truth was, she knew what Cici had really wanted to ask but was glad the girl had not gone ahead with it as Reika did not even know what her answer would have been.

And of course during this time, Machoke was getting ready for his match, working extra hard. There was no way he would come in unprepared for such an event. After all, this was the second round of the Hero Olympics and he was going to do everything in his power to be ready for such an important occasion.

Soon enough, the area was full. Sure, not many audience members wanted to be in a place like this, but the thrill of a Hero Olympics match up close was simply too much for them to ignore. Even so, it was certainly an unpleasant location with cobwebs all around the place and leaking drainpipes.

"Alright, folks, it's time for the second match of the second round to be underway," Beedrill stated, "We would like to thank the audience members who came here to support the fighters in person as we know plenty of you probably wouldn't be interested in coming here otherwise."

"He's right about that," Reika groaned, seeing a group of rats seated in front of the bleachers with tiny bags of popcorn, Aipom staring as Reika sighed, "Honestly, after seeing a rabbit with an army helmet, this doesn't surprise me."

"In the red corner," Nori stated, "representing Japan and having defeated many opponents over the past including Barbaracle, the hero with a knack for recovering from even the worst of injuries, Machoke!" the crowd staring when they noticed the boy enter dressed like a scorpion and riding on top of a giant scorpion float, waving his arms around.

Aipom simply stared and asked, "Um, Machoke, what is this supposed to represent?" the boy staring and remarking, "Are you dense!? See, in order to let the people know I mean business, I figured I'd counter Golduck's water theme with something representing dryness, and scorpions live in deserts, which are dry!" the audience members lowering their eyelids as one of them said, "There's an idea there, but it's not fully realized," Machoke thinking, 'That's better than the usual feedback.'

"Wait, this looks like it took a great deal of effort," Aipom said, Machoke grinning and replying, "Glad you noticed," the monkey remarking, "I mean it looks like it took WAY too much effort, like you spent all of your training time putting it together," all going silent as Machoke replied, "Uh, yeah, I did. What's your point?"

"THIS ISN'T WHAT I THOUGHT YOU MEANT WHEN YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO PREPARE!" Aipom snapped as Machoke covered the sides of his head before replying, "Look, I was thinking about that, but then my fears left me when I remembered something very important."

The monkey stared and asked, "What would that be?" Machoke replying, "Well, something I noticed from Golduck's match is that her greatest abilities rely on her using water, and this place has no water whatsoever. For once, it seems like Weedle didn't choose a location that he knew would make things harder for me."

"Well, okay, that is a valid point, but it's not a good excuse," Aipom groaned, "She has other abilities," the monkey then thinking, 'At least he's not freaking out anymore. The last thing we need is for his promise to put too much mental strain on him.'

Even so, Gardevoir was once again supportive as always as she squealed, "I THOUGHT THAT WAS YOUR BEST ENTRANCE YET, MACHOKE! IT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT!" Gallade shrugging, "Well, it did have a clever setup," Blaziken simply chuckling at Gallade while the cloaked figure from earlier sat on the other end of the bleachers, gazing not at the ring but at the girl. But what reason would she have for being so focused on Gardevoir?

"Anyway," Nori said, the announcer having embarrassing been distracted by the entrance herself, "in the blue corner, coming to us from Ireland, a ferocious duck that just defeated a vampire and has really proven herself a mistress of water, Golduck!" the Irish fans cheering wildly as the dog performed a series of somersaults toward the ring, propelling herself up and spinning vertically before landing firmly against the canvas.

'No clever shows or anything this time,' Machoke thought, 'So how is her entrance more well-received than mine was?'

Golduck simply folded her arms and smirked, saying, "I've been looking forward to this," Machoke blinking while thinking, 'Usually when my opponents say that, it's never a good thing,' the duck adding, "You've been soaking up fame for so long, it's been rather annoying, but not anymore! Your winning streak ends today!"

'Someone needs to tell her that already happened,' the others thought with awkward looks on their faces, Machoke all the while thinking, 'Oh yeah, the world doesn't know I was easily beaten by a weakling. That's probably for the best.'

With that, both stared each other down, but despite the duck's threatening words, Machoke was fully confident right now for the exact same reason he had stated earlier. After all, most of the abilities Golduck had used on Houndoom involved her using water and right now, she could not exploit that ability. But would it really be that easy for the boy? Was there something he did not know?


	50. Chapter 50

The bell was rung and thus Golduck and Machoke's match had started, Golduck wasting no time racing toward Machoke. The boy simply stepped to the side when she got close, sending a roundhouse into her side as the Japanese fans went wild.

Golduck simply took this chance to latch her closest arm around the boy's leg, Machoke simply throwing it to the side and sending the duck flying into the turnbuckle. Aipom's eyes were wide with shock, the monkey amazed that he had already managed to come up with something so effective.

Golduck simply ignored the pain as Machoke smirked, saying, "I knew it. Without water to manipulate, you're nowhere near as good," Golduck gritting her teeth and retorting, "Don't count me out just yet! I have other abilities!" Machoke panicking now as Aipom sighed, "That's what I was telling you earlier."

With that, the duck sprinted toward Machoke, the boy simply holding up a defensive stance only for Golduck to run over his head. The boy had no time to react as she sent her foot hard into his skull. Afterwards, she landed behind him and latched onto his shoulders, propelling herself upward and planting her feet hard into his back.

After that, the duck proceeded to latch her ankles around the boy's neck, leaning backward and latching onto his own ankles before using all her might to flip them both over, slamming his head into the mat while shouting, "ICE ROCK DRIVER!"

The Irish fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "Things were looking really good for Machoke, but Golduck has now landed her powerful Ice Rock Driver! Let's see if even Machoke can recover from that!" all the while thinking he most certainly would, but she had to remember it was her job to be neutral.

And sure enough, the boy did recover while holding onto his head, Golduck smirking and saying, "Glad you decided to get up after all because I've only shown you a fraction of my power."

Reika let out a sigh and groaned, "Dammit, he got over-confident," Blaziken shrugging and replying, "I wouldn't count him out just yet. He may have taken in a powerful move early in the match, but that was far from the worst he's ever dealt with."

And it seemed so as Machoke quickly recovered from the pain, sighing, "Not bad, but not great either," Golduck gritting her teeth and remarking, "You're bluffing," Machoke grinning and replying, "When you take in as many head blows as I have over the past, your standards can get pretty high," everyone staring in silence, Reika uttering, "That is not something to be proud of."

Golduck simply fumed and spat, "Fine, I'll just take you down with another technique!" only for Machoke to once again avoid the duck, sending a karate chop into the side of her head, the crowd going wild while Nori said, "Machoke is on fire today. Despite Golduck using a couple of fierce moves on him, he still seems to have the upper hand due to her moves being limited to non-water-based ones."

Golduck took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Machoke, I admit that you have some serious skill, but I'm not going down so easily," the boy simply staring, wondering if she was just being arrogant or if she really had something planned, the duck adding, "It's true that without my water powers, I'm not quite as good, but while I'm certain I could beat you without them, you've forgotten a very simple fact."

Everyone stared as Blaziken asked, "What fact is that?" Aipom looking up at the leaking pipes, her eyes widening as she exclaimed, "There's water in this building!"

The others were confused, but Golduck knew exactly what she meant as she snickered, saying, "Your trainer is as smart as I'd heard," Machoke turning to the monkey and remarking, "What are you two talking about!?" Aipom pointing at the pipes, Machoke then noticing the water dripping from them.

Weedle seemed to know this as well as he thought, 'I was hoping this location would give her an unexpected edge, and it has. Finally that embarrassment will learn the humility of defeat,' Golduck's gem glowing as suddenly, one of the pipes came open, water coming out.

However, rather than spraying all over the place, it instead formed into what looked like a rope as it headed toward the ring, redirecting itself in Machoke's direction. The boy's eyes and mouth went wide as the water headed toward him.

"MACHOKE, DON'T LET IT GET YOU!" Aipom spat as the boy blinked and said, "Right," dodging to the right only for the water to turn toward where he was headed, quickly wrapping itself around him as Golduck spat, "AQUA ROPE!"

The Irish fans looked rather happy as Gallade groaned, "You mean water can actually make for an effective rope?" Blaziken shrugging and replying, "Apparently," as the group noticed Machoke trying desperately to free himself but to no avail.

"What is this?" Machoke asked, "I thought just about everything could pass through water!" Golduck remarking, "True, but when I control water, it's not exactly normal. I can make it as thin or thick as I want," the duck then grabbing hold of the end of the water rope and swinging her arm sideways, pulling Machoke along with the rope and sending him head-first into the turnbuckle.

"And it seems Machoke has fallen victim to a similar move to what Talonflame used on Blaziken when still under the guise of Golurk," Nori stated, "only this time, it's perfectly legal," Golduck swinging Machoke even more, sending his head repeatedly into the turnbuckles.

The boy was now in great pain as the duck laughed, shouting, "JUST TRY AND GET OUT OF THIS!" Machoke gritting his teeth and remarking, "Unfortunately for you, I do know a way out of this!"

Everyone stared in amazement as the boy spun his body toward Golduck, causing the rope to wrap around him more as he inched closer and closer. However, the duck knew exactly what he was planning as she used her gem to return the water to its original thickness, said water falling to the ground while Machoke landed on his back.

"I see," Blaziken said with an impressed look, "He tried using the same counter I did when Talonflame tried that crap on me," Hitmonchan asking, "So you came up with that? Wow, that's awesome."

Sure, the move had failed, but Machoke was now free as he got up, shouting, "Alright, I'm not giving you another chance like that!" the boy then charging toward Golduck only for her to use her gem to bring the water back up, this time having it whip him in the back as she spat, "AQUA WHIP!"

Machoke cried out in pain as the water flew over to Golduck, the duck once again taking hold of it and smirking, saying, "The rope may not have worked, but I dare you try and get around this."

With that, Golduck proceeded to smack Machoke with her whip a couple of times only for the boy to smirk, grabbing hold of it and asking, "Are you kidding? This is even easier to dodge than that last move!?" Golduck frowning and returning the water's thinness to normal, Machoke feeling a tad disappointed that he could not use the whip to his advantage.

However, he now had to be careful. One could only guess at what Golduck was going to create. The others were aware of this too as Aipom gulped nervously, waiting for the duck to try something else.

After a few seconds, the duck laughed nervously and uttered, "Oh no, I'm not really sure what else to do with such a small amount of water," the area going silent as the Irish fans looked beyond disappointed, Blaziken smirking and exclaiming, "YOU'RE BACK ON EASY STREET, MACHOKE!" the boy nodding before rushing toward Golduck and sending a hard punch into her face.

The duck groaned in pain as he wrapped his arms around her, leaning backward and planting her head hard into the mat before releasing his hold, the Japanese fans going wild as Nori exclaimed, "Even with Golduck's water powers, Machoke has still managed to get the upper hand!"

"I'm not gonna lie," the boy said, "when I saw that you could use your water powers, I was worried, but it seems you need a lot of water in order to be a true threat, and that simply wasn't enough."

However, Golduck fumed and retorted, "SO WHAT!? I STILL HAVE OTHER MOVES!" the duck rushing toward him before sending a series of palm punches while asking, "How do I think I made it into the Olympics in the first place? There was no water whatsoever in the arena I competed at!"

Machoke narrowly dodged each punch while saying, "I'll admit, you got power and speed, but after witnessing your regular moves first-hand earlier, you're not too difficult to figure out," Golduck's eyes widening as she backed up, uttering, "Are you saying I'm predictable?"

The boy blinked, not even sure how to respond to this as the duck gritted her teeth, trying her best to keep a level head, not that she was necessarily good at that to begin with. For some reason, these words really got to her, more so than it would have for most people.

"That look is not a good sign," Reika said as Golduck spat, "I AM NOT PREDICTABLE!" the duck leaping at Machoke with her feet stretched out. Machoke easily saw this coming and quickly threw his arms out, grabbing onto her ankles and swinging her into the turnbuckle with a sigh of relief, saying, "That was really obvious."

'No, it wasn't,' Golduck thought, gritting her teeth, 'He just got lucky! That's it!' the duck then smirking and racing toward Machoke leaping above his head again. But just as she was about to latch her ankles around his neck again, the boy simply grabbed hold of them and leaned back, once again planting the duck's head into the canvas.

The Japanese fans went wild as Gallade exclaimed, "THAT WAS SO COOL!" Hitmonchan blinking and saying, "I never would have come up with a counter like that," the crowd cheering as Golduck thought, 'Neither would I. He's so unpredictable.'

However, while Machoke was not so sure he had hinted at this, he was right. Golduck herself knew how predictable her fighting style was when she was not using water and it had always been a burden for her.

Back when she was training to be a hero like her father, she had learned all of his techniques, figuring she was ready for the world. And needless to say, she performed very well in her final exam and even defeated her first opponent rather quickly. However, she had major problems after that.

After her first win, villains were able to read her like a book as she constantly relied on same techniques, never able to come up with those on her own. However, she did have one ability her father did not have, and that was the power to manipulate water, and she used this ability when facing a villain on a beach, earning her second win on Earth.

From that moment on, she would always fight villains when water was nearby and if there was no way to get to such an area, she would have her allies do the fighting for her. She would always be able to motivate them by simply telling them they deserved a turn.

When she applied for the Olympics, she knew she was at a high risk of losing. Sure, she breezed through the first round easily, but in the second round, her opponent very quickly caught onto her pattern.

That was when she needed to come up with more creative ways to bring water to her, and as such, the duck would use anything nearby to help her out. If an audience member had a water bottle, she would immediately use that person's water as a weapon. Sure, she had only enough water to use her Aqua Whip and Rope techniques, but she managed to use this stunt to get her a spot in the Hero Olympics, feeling fortunate to have been so lucky.

But now, both those moves had been beaten and Golduck did not have enough water around the area to create anything else. There were no water bottles among the crowd or anything. However, she could not give up. If she was unable to come up with new regular moves, then she could simply make up new water techniques with that little puddle in the middle of the ring.

With that in mind, the duck took a deep breath, her gem glowing against as the water rose up behind Machoke, Aipom shouting, "MACHOKE, BEHIND YOU!" the boy turning and getting ready only for Golduck to smirk and send the water into the boy's face, forming a bubble around his head with water covering the inside.

All went silent as the boy's cheeks inflated, Machoke now starting to suffocate as Golduck smirked, thinking, "Wow, I didn't think it would actually have that kind of effect. After all, a real bubble wouldn't be filled with water, but then again, that's not a normal bubble.'

Machoke rammed his fists into it only for this to prove ineffective against the bubble, the boy simply causing his face pain in the process, the boy stopping as his friends stared in absolute horror. Sure, they knew Golduck could not kill Machoke without being disqualified, but this was still a dirty tactic to use on a fellow hero.

Machoke had now fallen to his knees, trying desperately to hold his breath as Reika asked, "Is there anything he can do?" Gallade groaning, "I don't know. Golduck's made that bubble strong as rubber. The only way out is if she decides to release him," Gardevoir also really worried right now.

However, while the others were starting to lose hope, Aipom was stroking her chin with her tail hand, looking closely at the bubble itself. Then she noticed that around Machoke's neck was a hold in the bubble as the bottom was pressing up against it as opposed to going through it.

Aipom then got a brilliant idea and spat, "MACHOKE, TRY PULLING ON THE BOTTOM!" everyone staring in confusion as Blaziken asked, "What's she suggesting now?" Gardevoir smiling and saying, "Actually, that's not a bad strategy."

Machoke thought this sounded like a weird strategy, not to mention one that would not work, but he was desperate to try anything to avoid passing out, which he knew he would before Golduck would even consider releasing him. As such, the boy placed a firm grip against the bottom of the bubble pressing up against the front of his neck.

Golduck laughed and exclaimed, "Oh man, even the genius teacher is desperate for ideas! This is just rich!" a look of shock taking over when she noticed this actually working as Machoke managed to get his fingers under the bubble, stretching it out and causing the water inside to come out, a fish also emerging out of nowhere as it flopped around on the canvas.

Machoke then proceeded to lift the now-deflated bubble off of his head and toss it straight into Golduck's face shouting, "THAT WAS TERRIFYING!" the duck now looking scared herself. That bubble was the only new technique she could come up with and once again, Machoke had found a way around it. Sure, he had taken advice this time, but he still put it to good use.

However, there was no way she was going to lose after coming so close as she tried desperately to come up with an idea, the duck desperately trying the whip again only for Machoke to grab it while saying, "Come on, you already know that's not going to work on me anymore," the duck trembling as she once again returned the water to normal, Machoke rushing behind her and wrapping his arms around her, lifting her up and leaning back, planting her head hard into the mat while the Japanese fans cheered.

Weedle all the while was beyond disappointed. He had really hoped that even without a huge body of water to exploit, Golduck would still be able to come up with a slew of water-based techniques. However, it seemed she lacked the creativity when it came to a small amount.

Machoke took a deep breath and smirked, saying, "I'm sorry, Golduck, but you're out of tricks," the duck growling before thinking carefully about how much water there was. She had enough to form a bubble big enough to cover Machoke's head and still have water flowing inside of it.

Then something came to her, her eyes going wide. What if she could turn that bubble into more than just a suffocation tool, something that hurt him physically as opposed to internally?

With that in mind, Golduck once again rose up the water, Aipom exclaiming, "She's using the water again!" Machoke nodding and readying himself only to notice the water headed straight for Golduck, the duck then directing it around her body after forming a sphere with it and shouting, "WATER PULSE!" sending a ball hard into the boy's face.

Machoke's eyes widened as the move had actually been powerful enough to knock him on his back, the boy coughing up a bit of blood before laying there, his eyes and mouth wide open. The Irish fans went wild while everyone else stared in shock. A little water ball had pulled that off?

Machoke's friends stared in horror at the sight of this. Had he actually been beaten by such a simple move?

Golduck all the while took a few breaths before thinking, 'Wow, that was even more effective than I thought it would be,' a look of panic on her face when Machoke started to rise back to his feet, Aipom breathing a sigh of relief. However, that relief did not last long when everyone noticed Machoke's eyes swirling as he was now struggling to stay upright.

"Well, Machoke recovered rather quickly from that surprisingly powerful technique," Nori stated, "but now he doesn't even look fully conscious," Reika blinking and asking, "What's wrong with him?" Blaziken sighing, "It seems to be a similar effect to Lopunny's Dizzy Punch."

Golduck simply smirked while thinking, 'Oh, I am a genius and I didn't even know it! This couldn't have possibly turned out better! Sure, he's not down, but he can't focus! That gives me an ample opportunity to end his winning streak once and for all!'

With that, the duck wasted no time charging toward Machoke before latching onto his shoulders and propelling him high above the mat, all going silent as Aipom squeaked, "COME ON, MACHOKE! YOU WERE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM DIZZINESS EASILY WHEN LOPUNNY HIT YOU!"

However, despite Machoke's amazing immunity to getting dizzy, it seemed this water ball from earlier was more powerful than Dizzy Punch could hope to be. However, perhaps it was not that much more powerful as Machoke had regained focus, his eyes widening when he soon found himself flipped so his belly was facing the ring, Golduck placing her knees against his back and grabbing hold of his ankles and chin.

"You have quite the resistance to recover from that so quickly," the duck stated, "but it's not enough to save you," before heading toward the canvas and shouting, "DUCK DRIVER!" Machoke's friends staring in horror as his belly hit the mat hard, his eyes widening as he coughed up more blood.

The Irish fans went wild as Golduck released her hold on Machoke, taking a deep breath and saying, "You were an irritating opponent, but this victory belongs to me," Golduck said with a smirk as Beedrill started up the countdown, the others staring in silence.

"I can't be over yet, can it?" Gardevoir squeaked, Blaziken shaking her head and replying, "It can't be. Machoke's taken far worse than this over the past," and it seemed so as when Beedrill counted to six, Machoke had risen back to his feet, taking many deep breaths with his eyes wide open with terror, the boy exclaiming, "Oh my god, I thought I'd lost for sure!"

Golduck's eyes and beak were wide open, the duck uttering, "Why can't you stay down?" Machoke taking a deep breath and remarking, "You don't know much about my family, do you?" Aipom smiling wide and nodding her head, saying, "Yeah, the Mach family has the amazing ability to stand up to just about everything. It takes a lot to take one of them down."

What could the duck possibly do now? That Water Pulse was the last thing she could think of. Now Machoke could read her like a book, and Machoke's friends were more than confident he could win this match now.

However, it was then that Golduck remembered something very important. She may have only been able to extract a little water from that one pipe earlier, but what about the others? The only reason she had not tried to get water from those is because when water was sealed up, she often found herself unable to control it, and the other pipes were not leaking so this was indeed an issue. Even back when she used water bottles as a source of water for her, they were always open when she used them.

However, right now the duck was desperate as he gem glowed, Machoke getting ready to counter her water again only this time, the water on the floor of the mat did not seem to be her target. In fact, she was applying more power than even she believed she could muster as her eyes glowed red as well, the pipes now vibrating wildly while everyone noticed this.

The rats looked up and quickly scurried up the side of the bleacher wall, sitting atop that instead while some audience members sitting behind them freaked out. But it seemed the rats had good timing as the latches to the pipes came open, water shooting out from them and raining upon the area surrounding the ring, Weedle and Beedrill panicking as Beedrill grabbed hold of his father, using his wings to carry him to higher ground, and this was perfectly necessary as the entire floor was soon flooded, the water no longer pouring out.

Machoke stared at this as Golduck took a deep breath, a smirk on her face as she said, "Oh, this is too perfect."


	51. Chapter 51

Machoke was worried now. With the area surrounding the ring now flooded, Golduck stood much more of a chance as she could now use all of the abilities she had used on Houndoom. A big grin had formed on her face as she could not have asked for a better chance.

"With the area now covered in water, what will Golduck do?" Nori asked, "At the very least, she can certainly use more abilities now."

"I'll admit, Machoke, you've been a real challenge," the duck said, "just as I'd expect from someone with your reputation. But now there's nothing you can do, because I remember a very important fact about you," all going silent as Gardevoir squeaked, "She doesn't mean that, does she!?"

It seemed the girl's fears were true when Golduck dove into the water, Beedrill immediately starting a count to twenty as unlike in her match with Houndoom, this actually counted as a ring-out. However, that count did not go too high as Golduck immediately rose from the water with a huge burst of the liquid surrounding her and forming a stream leading back into the pool behind it.

Machoke was in deep panic as Golduck spat, "AQUA JET!" Aipom thinking about how this worked and shouting, "MACHOKE, TRY TO AVOID IT!" the boy running to the right only for Golduck to redirect herself that way, slamming her head hard into his gut.

Everyone knew exactly what was coming next, the Irish fans going wild as Golduck said, "Now for something that's guaranteed to make you suffocate, and the best part of all is that there are no sea creatures to save you this time!" the duck locking her arms around his shoulders and leaning backward shouting, "WATERSLIDE!"

With that, Machoke was slammed head-first into the stream behind the duck, unable to get off of the running water in time to slide into the water surrounding the ring. Golduck folded her arms and laughed, exclaiming, "YES! FINALLY, I'VE DEFEATED THE SON OF MACHAMP!"

Machoke's friends were aghast as Reika groaned, "Oh no, how could this happen?" Gallade sighing, "She's right, too. Machoke's a terrible swimmer, so without someone to save him, he's pretty much screwed."

However, Golduck's confidence came to an end, her eyes going wide when she noticed Machoke was standing up in the water, everyone staring as the boy said, "You know this water's really shallow, right?" the boy quickly climbing back into the ring and adding, "The only thing that really happened was my butt hitting the floor after landing in the water."

Aipom's eyes widened as she nodded, saying, "Of course. We're not fighting in a pool this time, meaning the ring is touching the floor as opposed to floating in the middle of the water, and when outside of the ring, your head is already high enough to reach the ropes, so this flood is only enough to cover everything except for the head."

Nori blinked and said, "I'm embarrassed to admit that even I didn't realize that until just now," Blaziken taking a deep breath, saying, "Dammit, Machoke, why do you always gotta worry us like that?"

With that, Machoke raced toward Golduck as she took a deep breath, flipping backwards, diving into the water again before rising up with a big bubble surrounding her, the duck exclaiming, "It doesn't matter anyway! I can still hit you with an onslaught of water-based moves and you can't do a thing to stop me!"

The boy's eyes widened as she spat, "WATER PULSE MACH TWO!" flinging herself along with the bubble into Machoke's face as the bubble burst. Strangely enough, the effect was slightly weaker as it was hitting him entire body as opposed to just his face but it still distracted him long enough for the duck to reform the water, sending it to her fists and forming two large bubbles around her hands shouting, "WATER BOXING!"

The Irish fans cheered more wildly as Golduck sent a series of punches toward the boy. Machoke did his best to dodge them, Aipom nodding her head in approval as he held his hands up to block two incoming punches. However, the bubbles seemed to make these punches even stronger than he could have imagined as he was barely able to stand his ground after blocking the two, his legs spread out as it looked like any slight increase in strength would have knocked him back.

However, the worst was that this forced his palms back far enough that a cracking sound could be heard from his wrists, the crowd wincing as Weedle groaned, "Oh god, even I didn't need to hear that," Machoke's eyes widening as he spat, "OH MY GOD, MY WRISTS!"

The boy proceeded to wave them around until he felt his bones snap into place, breathing a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, his relief ended when Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, LOOK OUT!" the boy turning his attention back to Golduck just in time to receive a hard punch to the face, blood flying from his nostrils as he flew backward, landing hard on his back while the Irish fans cheered even more.

"Golduck was having so much trouble before, but with all this water, she has gotten the upper hand in this match," Nori said, Machoke's friends looking absolutely terrified. They knew Golduck was at her worst when using water, but she was displaying even more power than when she had fought Houndoom. Perhaps this was a result of her extreme desire to defeat Machoke. After all, she was much more intent on beating him than anyone else in this tournament.

Machoke did not seem to be getting up any time soon as Golduck smirked, saying, "Man, that was even better than I thought, though I'm certainly not taking any chances," the duck then leaping onto the boy's gut before sending a slew of punches into his face, more blood coming from his nostrils.

Everyone simply stared in horror as Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? REGAIN CONSCIOUSNESS AND BLOCK HER PUNCHES!" Gardevoir whimpering, "Don't you think it's a bit much to ask that of him right now?" Aipom remarking, "I know, but he has a knack for doing that!"

However, Golduck stopped punching the boy after delivering a total of fifteen, the duck taking a deep breath and getting up, saying, "That might not keep you down for good, but it should keep you out long enough for a ten count," Beedrill nodding and starting that very count, all going silent.

Was this really it? Normally when Machoke was out cold, something would happen that would always give him time to recover. However, this time, nothing had stopped Beedrill from starting the ten count meaning if he could not get up before ten seconds were up, he would lose for sure.

'I did it,' Golduck thought, a big smile on her face when Beedrill reached five, 'I've finally defeated the champion's son. The world will always remember my name even if I lose the next round.'

However, just as Beedrill had counted to eight, his eyes widened, everyone staring in shock as Golduck asked, "Hey, why'd you stop counting?" her eyes then going wide as well when she slowly turned and noticed Machoke slowly pushing himself back up, the boy taking many deep breaths.

"I have to admit, Golduck, you are a force to be reckoned with when water's involved," the boy said, "It's really an amazing talent. But even so, I have no desire to lose this match."

Golduck took a deep breath, rushing at Machoke again before sending two more punches. Now that the boy knew just how powerful these bubbles were, he immediately dodged to the right and sent a roundhouse into Golduck's side. Her eyes widened with shock as he proceeded to grab hold of the duck's wrists, lifting her up over his head and slamming her back hard into the mat, but not before grabbing hold of the sides of the bubbles and using the momentum of his throw to pry them right off.

The duck grunted and spat, "Whatever! I can still use other techniques!" Gallade uttering, "Couldn't she just as easily create another pair of bubbles for her fists?" Hitmonchan nodding and replying, "If I was her, I wouldn't ditch the boxing gloves after taking in one hit while wearing them."

Golduck proceeded to dive into the water again, this time rising up with water surrounding her once again, going in for another Aqua Jet. However, Machoke was ready this time as rather than dodging to the side, the boy leapt over it just as it closed in, Aipom impressed by how well he had timed it. After that, the boy planted his elbow into the water, the momentum giving him enough strength to snap it in half, Golduck losing control and flying head-first into the turnbuckle.

The Japanese fans went wild as Nori said, "Just as it seemed Golduck had finally found a way around Machoke's counters, he's now starting to figure out her water-based moves," the duck thinking, 'No. I may be predictable when using my normal abilities, but I'm different when using water,' her eyes then widening as she had come up with the perfect plan to end all of this, a plan so simple, it was a wonder that it took her this long to come up with it.

With that, she noticed all the water that had been following her before was covering the mat right now, the duck smirking and saying, "Well, Machoke, you've managed to surprise me again, but it's time I end this," her gem glowing again as the boy's eyes widened, Aipom exclaiming, "MACHOKE, THE WATER!"

The boy's eyes went wide when the water below him formed into a big cube around his body. His cheeks puffed up as he was once again sealed in water, only this time there was no way to escape. This cube had a bottom on it, so he could not just lift it up from the sides or anything like that.

All went silent as Aipom clasped her hands over her mouth. What could the boy possibly do? Even she had no idea how he could get out of that. The only way out would be for him to suffocate so Golduck would have a reason to release him.

However, Machoke was not going to let that get him down as he rammed his elbow into the side only for the rubbery bubble to prove far too strong. The boy's eyes widened even more as he started throwing his fists into the material, soon sending kicks into it. Unfortunately, he could not get through no matter how hard he tried.

Golduck took a deep breath, saying, "In hindsight, it does seem a tad underwhelming to defeat you in such a manner, but results are still results no matter what," Nori saying, "Machoke is in a serious bind now. Can he possibly get out of that water prison?"

Weedle took a deep breath thinking, 'He's going to pass out soon. I knew I made the right choice picking this location. Sure, Golduck took a bit of time finding a way to really use it to her advantage, but at least she managed to pull it off.'

Gardevoir bit her lip while the others looked so helpless right now. What advice could they possibly give that would work? They knew how powerful water was when Golduck controlled it. Everyone was drawing a blank right now.

However, while the others seemed to have lost hope, Machoke was thinking of a strategy while rubbing his fingers against his chin. It was almost as if the water meant nothing to him now as he was no longer struggling to breathe. Still, he could only ignore it for so long, so he knew he would have to act fast.

"How cute, he's trying to think!" Golduck exclaimed with a smug look on her face as she added, "With my bubbles, you have no way of breaking through the material! This may seem way too easy, but it's necessary. I hope you understand."

However, Machoke's eyes opened up before he directed them up toward his skull, mainly three certain parts of him sticking out of it. Sure, they were not exactly sharp, but he had nothing else in mind. As such, the boy floated up in the water, placing his feet against the side of the bubble and stretching it back like one of the ring's ropes.

"Do you really think kicking it harder is going to make a difference?" Golduck asked, everyone gasping in shock after what happened next as the bubble snapped back, launching Machoke head-first into the opposite side of the bubble like a slingshot.

The material stretched forward, Golduck trembling and backing up a bit when suddenly, the bubble started to rip, Aipom and Gardevoir's eyes sparkling at the sheer brilliance of this strategy. After a few more seconds, Machoke busted straight through the bubble block and into Golduck's forehead, the duck's eyes widening as she flew backward, her gem changing to a darker shade of red.

The Japanese fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "And with a really strong headbutt, Machoke has managed to rip right through the rubbery bubble!" Weedle groaning, "How does he always pull these things off!?" Beedrill giving his father an odd look as he cleared his throat, saying, "Yes, very impressive."

All the while, the cloaked figure who had been much more focused on Gardevoir earlier simply gazed upon this display and thought, 'I can see why she likes him so much. That boy can find a creative solution to anything,' keeping a calm composure while thinking in a whiny tone, 'Why can't I be that cool!?'

Golduck stared in shock as Machoke took many deep breaths, gulping and barking, "Stop trapping me in water, dammit!" the duck gritting her teeth and shouting, "NO, I REFUSE TO LET YOU WIN!"

However, when she tried to use the water once more, her eyes widened when she noticed her gem had failed to work, Nori saying, "I just noticed, Golduck's gem has darkened in colour," the audience noticing this as well, the Irish fans having no idea what this meant as this was the first time it had ever happened.

However, there was only one thing that came to Golduck's mind as she spat, "YOU BROKE MY GEM!" Machoke staring before freaking out and exclaiming, "OH MY GOD, I'M SO SORRY!" Aipom sighing, "Don't apologize, Machoke! Take advantage of this!"

The boy nodded as Golduck gritted her teeth, shouting, "NO! IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS!" the duck charging toward the boy only for Machoke to see through her strategy, holding his arms out as her shoulders ran right into his hands.

The duck's eyes widened as the boy proceeded to lean backward, kicking her in the gut and sending her flying into the air. With that, the boy proceeded to run to the ropes, leaping onto them before propelling himself off, the crowd going wild as they knew what was coming.

Golduck once again tried to activate her gem but to no avail as the boy proceeded to roll up into a ball, ramming hard into the duck's back before retracting to his normal state with his back facing hers. He then threw his arms and legs back, locking Golduck's wrists and ankles in place before pulling hard on her back, rolling around to form a grey and blue wheel in the air.

He then headed toward the canvas, slamming the duck's body hard against it while shouting, "SUNSET SLAM!" grabbing hold of the back of her head and ramming her face hard against the mat.

All went silent as Golduck lay there, Beedrill starting up the ten count while Machoke breathed heavily. His friends bit their lower lips, hoping this was truly it as soon enough, the wasp reached ten and flew down toward his desk and tapped on the bell a couple of times with one of his stingers.

"And the winner of the second match of the second round is Machoke!" he exclaimed while the crowd went wild, Aipom smiling while thinking, 'Sometimes I wonder if he even needs me to come up with ideas for him. He may be childish, but that only seems to help him come up with more creative ways to avoid failure.'

The crowd continued to cheer, save for the Irish fans who hoped Golduck was okay. However, Machoke noticed the duck starting to twitch, her teeth gritted as she slowly rose to her feet, breathing heavily. Everyone stared in absolute shock as Machoke trembled.

"I would like to remind Golduck that the match is over," Beedrill stated, "If she does anything else right now, she will be dragged out of the ring by security," Golduck seeming to ignore his words as she marched over to Machoke.

"Come on, Golduck, you're making us look bad!" one of the Irish fans exclaimed, another shouting, "We don't mind you losing! You're still awesome!" the duck looking Machoke in the eyes before smirking and slugging him on the shoulder saying, "Nowhere near as awesome as this guy."

All went silent as Blaziken shrugged, saying, "I saw that coming a mile away," Gallade snickering and replying, "Yeah, Machoke has this tendency to make friends with most of his opponents," Gardevoir smiling bright and adding, "That's why we all like him so much."

"So there's no hard feelings?" Machoke asked as Golduck shrugged and replied, "Of course not. This was a fair fight between heroes and you won. It would be unsportsmanlike for me not to accept that," Machoke nodding with a big smile on his face as the two shook hands.

The audience cheered wildly as Nori sniffed, "I've seen this happen so many times as a result of his matches, but it still warms my heart when bitter rivalry turns into friendship!" Cici now wanting to ask how Reika had lost her feelings for the guy, though she had a theory behind why this was.

The cloaked figure got up and headed toward the exit thinking, 'Gardevoir's match is next. I'd better get there ahead of time,' Beedrill saying, "Well, with that rather intense match out of the way, it's time to reveal the location of the next match," the figure stopping dead in her tracks, her eyes widening under her hood as she thought, 'Oh right, I need to hear the next location first. I totally knew that was coming.'

During this time, a big vacuum had been brought in to clear out the water so people could leave when the announcement was over, Beedrill explaining, "For the match between Gardevoir and Garchomp, we'll be moving to this area," pointing at a location where a construction site was located on the map, Machoke sighing, "These choices just keep getting weirder."

"Remember, be there in less than two hours if you wish to catch the start of the match," the wasp added, the water now clearing up as everyone exited the area save for the rats who all noticed the cloaked figure, a serious look in her eyes as she thought, 'Alright, Gardevoir, show me if you truly have what it takes to defeat someone like Garchomp.'

She then noticed the rats standing behind her with curious looks in their eyes, the figure trying her hardest not to scream before fleeing from the area, stepping on the front of her cloak and falling flat on her face. Luckily, it seemed that had not drawn attention to her as she continued running before finally exiting the area, the rats pursuing her all the while.

Machoke turned his attention back to Golduck and asked, "Hey, will your gem be okay? I hope I didn't break it," the duck letting out a sigh and replying, "Honestly, I have no idea. It's never been shut down before," tapping on it as it suddenly became its usual light shade of red, both fighters smiling in response to this.

Just as Machoke was about to board the car taking him and the others to their next location, Golduck came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy turned and said, "Oh, hey Golduck," the duck giving him thumbs up and saying, "Give Ninetales a run for her money next round," Machoke nodding as the duck added, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think I've become a fangirl of yours."

Machoke's eyes widened as he asked, "Really?" a big childish smile forming on his face as Golduck added, "Yeah! I mean, oh my god, that was just so cool how you broke out of my water prison like that! I never would have come up with anything like that!"

With all said and done, there was no doubt a new friendship had formed between the two. But right now, Machoke needed to focus on supporting Gardevoir. After all, Garchomp was really tough and she would need some serious strategy to beat her.


	52. Chapter 52

Everyone had arrived at the construction site where the next match would take place. The workers here were rather happy for this decision as this meant they could take a break from building. Sure, they did have to help set up the bleachers, but they did not mind this all that much.

All the while, the audience members were wandering around the site as Reika sighed, "The problem with these types of locations is there's nothing to really do while waiting, is there?" Tsuya nodding and groaning, "I miss the spa," the girl then noticing Houndoom walking around the area, the girl's eyes widening as she bit her lower lip. After all, she had not seen Houndoom since his match ended, and with him being her new crush, she just had to meet him face-to-face.

The wolf was simply looking for somewhere he could pee right now when Tsuya came up behind him, tapping him on the shoulder while Reika and Cici watched this with simultaneous sighs. To them, this was just Tsuya being Tsuya. At the very least, the conversation seemed to go well as Houndoom was happy to talk to a fan of his and even give her autograph, even if she did ask him to write it on her chest with felt marker.

However, he had a rather big smile on his face when she said, "By the way, if you're feeling in anyway thirsty, you can have a bit of my blood," the girl lowering the side of her collar as Houndoom felt his stomach, thinking, 'I haven't had too much today,' the wolf then saying, "Wait right here. I'll be back in a second," the wolf sprinting off to find a spot to pee, Tsuya sighing, "He's trying to avoid me, isn't he?" before walking off.

'I love the twenty-first century!' Houndoom thought with a big grin when he found a spot to unzip his fly and lift up his leg, 'Fangirls always offer me nourishment! First, that group of cheerleaders, and now this hot young thing! I know the reason vampires are so popular is a rather stupid one, but it's still awesome!'

However, when the wolf returned, he noticed Tsuya was gone and groaned, "Maybe this is a sign that I need to watch my weight," before tilting his head to the side, uttering, "But vampires don't gain weight."

All the while, Gallade and Hitmonchan were looking around as the girl decided to practice her boxing on a girder, Gallade staring at this and hoping the workers did not mind one of their materials being smashed up. Even so, he dared not question this and simply let her be.

All the while, Gardevoir was preparing herself for the match, using cinder blocks at weights. She found herself having a bit more trouble working with them than the usual weights, but she still managed to make use of them.

Machoke was walking by at this moment as he said, "Hey, Gardevoir, you ready for your match?" the girl smiling softly and setting down the blocks before saying, "Garchomp is pretty scary, but I think I can manage."

The boy nodded and said, "I'll train you if you'd like," the girl's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "Thanks! You're always there for me!" before hugging him lightly, the two starting a sparring match with one-another. Normally Machoke did not care for sparring, but when it came to Gardevoir, he was willing to do a lot for her benefit.

Before he did it mostly because he knew how much she needed the help. Now, Gardevoir had gotten very strong, but even so, Machoke still felt the need to help her out in any way he could. After all, she was the first real friend he ever had. She was the first one to show him genuine kindness and understanding in hero school. Needless to say, he felt a strong connection to her, though mainly in a friendly sort of way.

Garchomp all the while was getting ready herself. This was a match she had really been looking forward to simply because of Gardevoir's reputation. After all, who could ignore someone who was once known to barely stand up to a slightest of hits and yet still managed to have an amazing winning streak? The dragon was getting more and more excited to face her every second.

All the while, the cloaked figure from earlier was waiting in the bleachers, folding her arms with a serious look in her eyes while thinking, 'Gardevoir, you've really grown into such a talented young lady since I last saw you. You might just have what it takes to win the Olympics.'

Her eyes widened, though, when she noticed a certain pair of people walking over to her, namely Kirlia and Ralts, Gallade and Gardevoir's parents. The figure tried her hardest to hide her face as the two sat next to her.

"Honey, remind me again why we're sitting in the back row," Ralts said as Kirlia sighed, "Again, dear, I fear that if Gardevoir sees us during her match, she might get nervous and try too hard to impress us," her husband nodding and sighing, "In that case, why not stay at home and watch her matches like we usually do?"

"While I agree with your reasoning, I just want to see her in action up close," the woman replied as her husband shrugged, saying, "Works for me."

'Dammit, why are they here?' the cloaked figure thought, 'Come on, sit away from me at least! Oh god, I hope they don't notice me,' neither of the two seeming to know who she was. Though on that note, who was this mysterious figure and what was her connection to Gardevoir?

There was only a half-hour left as Machoke and Gardevoir figured it was time to rest, Machoke asking, "So, you got your own entrance prepared again?" Gardevoir shaking her head and blushing, replying, "It's kind of embarrassing, but I only had that one entrance prepared. I was going to save it for later, but I wasn't sure if I would make it through the first round, so..." Machoke cutting in while saying, "Say no more. I'll whip something up."

Gardevoir smiled sweetly and replied, "Thanks," Machoke then adding, "Before I forget, I got you a little something," the boy pulling out a new jersey, this one red with a number one on the chest area as he said, "I know it's not as cool as the one I got you before, but red goes well with green, so-" Gardevoir giving the boy a big hug, squealing, "I LOVE IT! THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

Machoke smiled warmly and patted her on the back before letting go and saying, "Anyway, I best get that entrance ready. Got any requests?" Gardevoir thinking, her eyes widening as she squeaked, "I just thought of something really cool!"

Once the half-hour was over, the crowd was ready as Beedrill exclaimed, "Welcome, one and all to the third match of the second round! These first two matches were really intense! Let's hope this match is just as exciting if not more!"

Kirlia and Ralts could not wait to see their daughter enter as Nori exclaimed, "In the red corner, representing France and having surprised the world with her skills, Gardevoir!"

All went silent as Gardevoir entered the area with fake spikes on top of her hair. Seeing as she could not spike her hair up and make it stay that way, this was the best she could do. The girl had an enraged look on her face as everyone stared in absolute shock and amazement with a touch of horror.

Blaziken stared in shock as Gallade whistled, shouting, "LOOKING GOOD, SIS!" Hitmonchan chuckling at this as Blaziken sighed, "I swear, Machoke has completely transformed her," Gallade replying, "For the better," Reika shrugging and adding, "He's got a point. She always seems to do better like this."

Gardevoir then proceeded to leap high above the air, landing firm against the ring with one knee touching it, the girl letting out an attempt at a roar. Of course, with her voice, it sounded beyond adorable, but she would not let this ruin her entrance as she reached under the front of her jersey, pulling out a can of black coffee. After that, the girl opened the can and tossed the liquid out of the ring and crushed it against her forehead.

With that, the girl took a deep breath before exclaiming, "I'M GARDEVOIR THE DRAGON SLAYER! COME AND FACE ME IF YOU DARE, GARCHOMP!" the French fans going wild as Ralts and Kirlia stared wide-eyed, big smiles quickly forming on their faces as Ralts said, "Our little girl's really grown into a true warrior, hasn't she?" Kirlia nodding and squealing, "I'm so proud!"

'Funny, I thought for sure they would disapprove of that,' the cloaked figure thought before folding her arms and adding in her mind, 'I also think it's really cool, though the last entrance was better.'

Gardevoir removed the fake spikes from her head and tossed them out of the ring as well, Nori saying, "Wow, she is definitely fired up for this," the woman then stating, "In the blue corner, coming to us from Russia and having defeated Lairon with her incredible skills, a terrifying dragon with a great deal of power, Garchomp!" the Russian fans going wild as the dragon charged toward the ring, propelling herself off the ground and performing a series of flips before landing firmly on her feet with her arms out and a serious look in her eyes.

The dragon then smirked and said, "Nice to meet you face-to-face, Gardevoir," the girl bowing her head and replying, "Likewise," Garchomp adding, "I don't care what that pompous Roserade says. I think that collar and jersey really suit you. Personally, I prefer this to your old one," Gardevoir blushing a bit and replying, "Thank you."

"Well, at least Garchomp's civilized," Blaziken said, "Still, Gardevoir's gonna have a lot of trouble defeating her. After all, she managed to shatter Lairon's armour. Even for heroes, breaking through steel is not an easy task."

Gardevoir was certainly aware of this but there was no way she would let this get to her as Machoke took a seat, exclaiming, "You can do it, Gardevoir!" the girl flashing him a cute smile and nodding her head. Once again, the boy just knew how to fill her up with confidence.

With all said and done, the bell was rung as Garchomp wasted no time rushing toward the girl. Gardevoir took a deep breath, waiting for just the right moment before gracefully dodging to the side and sending a fierce backhand into Garchomp's cheek, the dragon's eyes wide with shock as the French fans went wild.

Gardevoir did not let it end there as she sent a hard palm punch into the cheek as well thus adding to the damage. Garchomp backed up a bit, rubbing the spot. It was not so much the hits themselves that surprised her but rather how much they had hurt. Gardevoir, even with her increased muscles, was still skinny, so she did not look nearly as tough as Lairon.

"WAY TO GO, SIS!" Gallade exclaimed, "SOCK IT TO HER!" only for the dragon to rush at the girl again, Gardevoir once again dodging. Unfortunately, this did not garner the same results as Garchomp swung her tail out to the side, smacking the girl in the shin with it.

Her eyes widened as she knelt down, trying her best to ignore the pain. However, Garchomp would not give her that chance as she swung her arm hard into the side of the girl's head. The Russian fans cheered as she was sent flying a little bit away from the dragon, falling on her side.

Garchomp really was strong. Gardevoir thought for sure that with her new found strength, she could handle a big heavyweight like her. Sure, every opponent she had fought ever since she had merged her powers with her normal form had been about her height, but she still believed she could do it. However, just those two hits alone were enough to make her feel like she did back when she needed her power, back when even the weakest of opponents could draw blood from a small number of hits.

The cloaked figure simply looked at this with a calm look thinking, 'I figured. She still needs my help,' Kirlia and Ralts resisting the urge to get up and cheer their daughter on. But again, both figured she would perform worse if she knew they were watching.

Machoke tensed up, a look of sheer terror in his eyes as he spat, "COME ON, GARDEVOIR! GET UP!" the girl turning to look at him as he added, "YOU'RE STRONG, GARDEVOIR, VERY STRONG! THOSE HITS WERE NOTHING! A LIGHT WHACK OF THE TAIL!? A SMACK TO THE FACE!? THAT'S HOW A CHILD FIGHTS!"

Garchomp folded her arms, grumbling, "I know what he's doing, but did he have to put it like that?" Gallade nodding and stating, "Gardevoir, you've really impressed me since you came to Earth. You've been doing an incredible job. Are you going to let two hits like that ruin everything?"

Gardevoir's eyes sparkled as she managed to rise up, now ignoring the pain dealt earlier as she squeaked, "You're right! This is nothing for the new me!" Ralts taking a deep breath and nudging Kirlia, saying, "That Machoke is a miracle worker, isn't he?" Kirlia nodding and replying, "If only he and Gardevoir were interested in each other. I'd pay for the wedding," the cloaked figure thinking, 'I'm not sure whether I truly agree with that or not.'

Garchomp took a deep breath and said, "You've got good friends, Gardevoir, and I have to thank them. If beating you was this easy, it wouldn't have felt satisfying in the slightest," the dragon then rushing toward the girl with one of her wrist fins at the ready, swinging it at the girl like a blade as she simply ducked under it, sending both her palms hard into Garchomp's gut.

The French fans cheered loudly as Nori said, "It looked like Gardevoir would be out quickly, but she has made a quick recovery and gotten the advantage back," Garchomp flying back a bit but managing to skid to a halt before hitting the ropes.

The dragon took a deep breath and smirked, saying, "Not bad, kid, but you're still not quite on Lairon's level of strength," Gardevoir smiling softly and replying, "As long as I can still deal damage, that's good enough for me," Garchomp thinking, 'Quite the optimist, isn't she?'

However, the dragon chose to ignore this as she rushed at Gardevoir again only for the girl to dodge once again. Garchomp swung her tail at her only for the girl to see this coming, leaping over it and flipping her body over, sending her foot hard into the dragon's cheek.

"YOU'RE ON FIRE, GARDEVOIR!" Machoke exclaimed while the crowd continued to cheer wildly, Kirlia smiling and saying, "That's our little girl," Ralts sighing, "If only I could risk cheering right now."

However, as all was looking well, Garchomp seemed unfazed now as she said, "I'll admit, Gardevoir, you're a lot tougher than you look. But even so, your pattern is a tad obvious," Gardevoir blinking in confusion as Gallade asked, "What's she talking about?" the dragon adding, "During your match with Roserade, I noticed you did not seem to have a lot of moves in your arsenal. It's mostly just slapping, kicking and that one advanced move of yours."

Gardevoir simply blinked before nodding her head, replying, "Yes, I know," all going silent in the crowd as she added, "My moves are pretty limited. I'm not sure if I am yet ready to pull off something like a suplex or a piledriver, but I'm okay with that. I've found ways to work with the abilities I got now, so I don't need anything too fancy just yet."

The French fans cheered as Nori said, "Whether you like this way of fighting or not, you can't deny that confidence is something to be admired," Garchomp simply aghast while Machoke exclaimed, "Yeah, you tell her, Gardevoir!" Hitmonchan smiling bright and adding, "Your sister's so cool, Gallade," the boy nodding and replying, "I know, right?"

Garchomp, on the other hand, went from looking shocked to unimpressed as she replied, "I'll admit, it does take a lot of guts to just outright say something like that and keep smiling. I respect your confidence, but are you really sure that's enough?" Gardevoir blinking as the dragon added, "Think about it. Most if not all of your opponents have been lightweights, beings who can't sustain all that much damage. But against an opponent like me, you'll need a lot more."

"Hey, that's not true," Machoke uttered, "She fought Nidoqueen on Hero Planet," Aipom sighing, "I hate to admit it, but that's not as impressive as you might think. First of all, her power was at, well, full power, and she specifically needed that in order to stand a chance. What's more is that Nidoqueen is a lot older than Garchomp and has gotten weaker with age. Garchomp might have a point."

However, the others did not seem to agree as Reika exclaimed, "YOU DON'T NEED ADVANCED SLAMMING TECHNIQUES TO TAKE HER DOWN! JUST KEEP AT IT!" the others cheering as Gardevoir smiled softly, squeaking, "Thanks, guys!"

Garchomp simply took a deep breath and said, "I gotta hand it to you, your friends really are something special," the dragon once again rushing toward the girl. And once again, Gardevoir managed to dodge, however, the dragon was extra-prepared now as she quickly spread her arms out, striking the girl's neck with one of her wrist fins, Gardevoir coughing up a small drop of blood as Garchomp proceeded to force her back-first into the turnbuckle, the Russian fans cheering as everyone else stared wide-eyed.

Garchomp of course refused to let it end there as the locked her arms around Gardevoir's shoulders, lifting the girl up and leaning backward, planting her head hard into the mat before releasing her, Gardevoir grunting in pain. Even so, she did her best to ignore this, slowly but surely rising back to her feet and breathing heavily. She could not believe it. After only a few hits, she was starting to feel weak. Was Garchomp right? Was her merging with her super powered state not as good as she thought?

This was certainly a possibility. After all, while making her power a permanent part of her made her normal strength at least three times higher than it was before, it was nowhere near as strong as she had been when her body could actually start glowing. Sure, she no longer needed to be brought to her limits to draw out of the power, but it seemed to come at a price. Maybe becoming one with the power was more detrimental than beneficial.

However, when the girl noticed her friends continued to cheer for her, she shook her head, a serious look in her eyes. Even if all of that was true, she was not going to let that get her down. Instead, she would do the absolute best she could do with her strength as it was and as such, the girl sprinted toward Garchomp, completely ignoring the pain dealt to her.

The dragon blinked and said, "So now you're on the offensive," before holding out her wrist fins like shields and adding, "That might not be the smartest idea."

However, her words were soon proven wrong when Gardevoir leapt up into the air with her arm out, headed toward the top of the dragon's shoulder as her eyes widened, the girl squeaking, "MOON HOOK!" sending her arm hard into Garchomp's neck, the crowd going wild as the dragon started to back up.

However, all went silent as Nori exclaimed, "Oh my god, Garchomp just took in one of Gardevoir's most powerful moves and yet continues to stand!" and this was true as while the dragon had certainly taking in considerable pain from the move, she had not been knocked down by it like Gardevoir's past opponents had been.

With that in mind, the dragon immediately took full advantage of this, holding up the arm closest to Gardevoir and ramming her claw into the girl's gut shouting, "DRAGON CLAW!" said claw now glowing at it ended up putting a deep hold into the girl, Gardevoir's eyes widening as she coughed up more blood.

Everyone gasped as Weedle spat, "HEY, GARCHOMP, KILLING IS THE BIGGEST VIOLATION OF TOURNAMENT RULES!" the dragon remarking, "Don't worry, old-timer, I'm not going to kill her!" the caterpillar groaning, "Why does everyone keep calling me that?"

Even so, the others were beyond worried now as that looked fatal. If Garchomp's had pushed her claw in all the way, it probably would have pierced Gardevoir's flesh considering how skinny she was.

Either way, the dragon refused to let this chance slide as she proceeded to swing Gardevoir around with the tip of her claws still lodged into her, the dragon hurling her head-first into the turnbuckle as she fell to the floor, looking like she would be unable to move now.

All went silent, even the Russian fans feeling sorry for the girl as Nori said, "While Garchomp did not apply enough force with her Dragon Claw to kill her opponent, she still managed to deal a devastating amount of damage. I don't think Gardevoir can get up from that," Beedrill nodding and starting the ten count.

Machoke's mouth and eyes were wide open as he spat, "GARDEVOIR, ARE YOU OKAY!?" Gallade and Hitmonchan both trembling. Sure, Garchomp would certainly not try to kill her if she wanted to win the Olympics, and the dragon was not a bad girl in any way. Even so, with the amount of force she had shown, who was to say this match would not end with an unfortunate accident?

However, everyone's fears were put to rest when they heard the girl still breathing, but she was not moving. Was it already over? The match had only gone for a little over ten minutes and looked like she had already lost.

Kirlia and Ralts stared in absolute terror, both figuring it was already too late to pretend they weren't there. However, the cloaked figure did not seem all too worried, and the answer became clear when Gardevoir's body twitched, the girl slowly pushing herself back up into a sitting position just as Beedrill was one millisecond away from finishing the ten count.

Everyone in the area stared in absolute shock, Garchomp especially. With how much damage Gardevoir had taken in, that should have finished her off even if it was early in the match. But despite all of that, the girl was still standing.

Machoke had tears in his eyes as he sniffed, "OH THANK GOD! I ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK!" Aipom nodding and replying, "Yeah, same here," Gallade and Hitmonchan both patting each other on the shoulder while breathing heavily.

"Thank goodness," Cici squeaked, "I was so scared," Reika and Tsuya patting her reassuringly on her shoulders, Blaziken smirking and saying, "She's got some real spirit, that Gardevoir."

One thing was for certain, though. This match was not over yet, but would it have been smarter for Gardevoir to stay down?


	53. Chapter 53

Garchomp was still in absolute shock. Gardevoir had looked so weak and so badly banged up after taking in her Dragon Claw and yet the girl was still standing. Even so, the dragon was not going to let this get to her.

With that, she raced toward her opponent, smirking and saying, "You got a lot of spirit! I like that!" Gardevoir smiling as if to pretend all the pain dealt earlier meant nothing, though while the crowd was impressed by this, Machoke could tell she was doing her best not to let Garchomp know just how much she had been weakened.

The truth was that Gardevoir had taken in more pain than ever before, and considering the Dragon Claw had been weakened in order to make sure her skin was not pierced, this was a very bad sign. Even so, the girl was not going to lose so easily after coming so far. As such, she waited until Garchomp got close as she ducked down.

However, Garchomp had prepared for any way of dodging the girl had in mind now that Gardevoir had pretty much used every direction possible and as such, the dragon sent her knee toward the girl's face. Her eyes widened as tried blocking the incoming knee with her hands.

Unfortunately, she was not strong enough and as such, the knee forced the back of her hands hard into her face, the girl flying back. Sure, this was nowhere near as painful as if the knee had actually hit her, but for it to have this much of an effect was a very bad sign.

The Russian fans cheered some more as Machoke trembled, his eyes wide open as he spat, "OH MY GOD, GARCHOMP JUST KEEPS GETTING SCARIER ALL THE TIME!" Aipom sighing, "Calm down," rubbing his shoulder with her tail hand and adding, "Still, you're right. I'm starting to think maybe Gardevoir should just give up."

"Back in the day, she probably would have done that," Gallade replied, folding his arms, "However, Gardevoir is a lot more confident in herself now. She's realized the importance of fighting to the bitter end no matter how bad the odds are," the boy then smiling as Machoke and adding, "I have to thank you for helping her with that."

Machoke blinked and groaned, "I'm not sure if I wanna be the one responsible for this anymore," Blaziken sighing, "Have a little faith, man. Gardevoir's proven herself more than capable of getting out of tough scraps. I'm sure she can turn this around."

Gardevoir seemed to be thinking the same thing as she pushed herself up again, taking a deep breath as Garchomp continued to be amazed by this. Once again, Gardevoir took the offensive, now knowing there was no way she could block any of the dragon's moves.

As such she swerved to the right again, Garchomp swinging her arm toward her only for the girl to duck under it. However, she had no time to do anything else as the dragon had whipped her tail that way shortly after swinging her arm, said part running straight into Gardevoir's gut, the girl once again sent flying as a result, falling hard on her back.

"This is almost too painful to watch," Nori said, "Despite really going all-out, Gardevoir can no longer land a hit on Garchomp. It seems the Russian dragon has seen through her evasive manoeuvres."

While Gardevoir looked like she was really struggling to stay up now, Machoke stared with worry taking over, Aipom understanding his expression entirely. Things had started off rather well for the girl, but ever since she took in that Dragon Claw, it seemed like she was doomed to lose. As if the extensive damage she had taken in was not bad enough, Garchomp had seen enough of her movements to know how Gardevoir worked.

Gardevoir realized this too and as such, she knew she would need a new strategy. And then it came to her: why not harm Garchomp internally? Sure, when she tried this on Nidoqueen, it had failed miserably, but that was back when the girl's normal state was weak and she was taking on an opponent too tough for her. But now she had the power to make this count.

As such, the girl rushed at Garchomp again, Reika biting her lip and uttering, "I think she's better off going back on the defensive," Kirlia and Ralts also scared as the cloaked figure was not sure what to think. It was not as if Gardevoir was being rash. Garchomp had simply learned how to counter her strategies.

When the girl got close, she leapt high into the air before Garchomp only for the dragon to swing her arm at her. However, her eyes went wide when shock as when the arm hit Gardevoir, the girl pretended not to feel pain from it while wrapping her arms around the wrist and her ankles around the area of Garchomp's arm located right at the edge of her wrist fin.

The French fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "What an unexpected turn of events! I've never seen Gardevoir use a hold before, and this is certainly an effective one!" Machoke beaming and exclaiming, "WAY TO GO, GARDEVOIR!"

Gallade simply smirked and said, "I've been telling her to use strategies like that against tough opponents for ages," Blaziken replying, "And it might actually work this time."

It seemed Blaziken was right as Garchomp was gritting her teeth, wincing in pain while her arm was being twisted. A part of Gardevoir was amazed this had actually worked but there was no way she would let go anytime soon.

However, Garchomp was not going to allow herself to lose. She was just as determined to do her country proud as any other participant and as such, she spread out her knee, placing it right under her arm.

"She's not doing what I think she's doing, is she?" Machoke uttered as Aipom gulped, "I think your suspicions may be right," Garchomp lifting up her arm and turning it so Gardevoir's back was facing the knee.

Kirlia and Ralts both panicked when the dragon lowered her arm, ramming the girl's back hard into her knee. Gardevoir coughed up a bit of blood and released her hold before rolling off of the knee, trying desperately to get back up while coughing up more blood.

All but the Russian fans were in fear as Nori said, "Just as Gardevoir finally found a way around Garchomp's counters, Garchomp amazes everyone by escaping from her hold!" Ralts gritting his teeth and grumbling, "I need to cheer for her," Kirlia placing her hand against his shoulder and shaking her head, saying, "You'll only make things worse, honey."

All the while, the cloaked figure was trying to remain calm and collective but was really trembling underneath her cloak. Things were not looking good for Gardevoir and it just kept getting worse.

Gardevoir once again tried to get up as Garchomp took a deep breath, saying, "You're persistent, I'll give you that, and I admire you for your spirit. As such, I will give you this chance to forfeit," Gardevoir's eyes going wide as all went silent, Nori saying, "Wow, even after all that, Garchomp is willing to show her opponent mercy!"

"I hate to say it, but she should probably take that offer," Machoke uttered, Aipom not sure whether to agree or not as Reika sighed, "I hate to say it, but Garchomp really is too good. Maybe Gardevoir should give up," Gardevoir heavily considering it when Cici squeaked, "NO!"

Gardevoir along with the girl's friends stared at her as she added, "COME ON, GARDEVOIR! YOU'RE A GREAT FIGHTER! I'VE SEEN YOU IN ACTION AND YOU'RE AMAZING! I WON'T THINK ANY LESS OF YOU IF YOU LOSE, BUT GIVING UP IS WHAT COWARDS DO AND YOU'RE NOT A COWARD!"

Gallade blinked as he and Hitmonchan laughed nervously, not sure whether or not they agreed with that statement as Gardevoir frowned and pushed herself back up, breathing heavily and grunting, "That's right! If I'm going to lose this match, I'd rather lose with honour and dignity!" Garchomp nodding and replying, "I like you, Gardevoir. You really are a true warrior in the ring, but don't think I'm gonna go lightly on you."

While Gardevoir looked serious, a part of her was frightened beyond belief. She just knew that she was going to lose this match. It was far too late for her to pull off a miracle. But even so, she had experienced being hospitalized once and she knew she could deal with it. After all, this was not a life-or-death battle. It was a fair fight between heroes, so at the very least, her life was not on the line.

Kirlia and Ralts watched in silence, hoping some kind of miracle would happen while the cloaked figure got up thinking, 'I think I've seen enough,' walking away from the area while the two parents looked at her. Kirlia blinked before noticing what looked like blue fur hanging out from under the cloak, the woman's eyes widening before she redirected her attention toward the match.

With all said and done, Gardevoir leapt at Garchomp with her arm out, shouting, "MOON HOOK!" Garchomp unable to respond in time as she received another blow to her neck. However, the dragon ignored the pain once again and this time wrapped her arms around the girl.

With that, she leapt high above the ring before flipping upside down, the Russian fans cheering while Gardevoir's friends stared in absolute horror, knowing exactly what was happening. Garchomp released a shock wave that surrounded her body in a blue flame before shouting, "DRAGON RUSH!" sending Gardevoir's head hard into the canvas, a smoke cloud forming.

All went silent as the smoke cleared, Gardevoir laying there with her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Machoke was trembling all over as Cici looked down, pursing her lips and feeling partly responsible for this. Reika and Tsuya simply rubbed her shoulders, looking at Gardevoir with concern.

Gallade and Hitmonchan were both terrified, Blaziken's eyes wide with shock. All the while, Kirlia and Ralts could no longer stay hidden as they rose from their seats, shouting, "GARDEVOIR!" Machoke turning and asking, "Who are those two?" Gallade turning as well and saying, "Oh no, Mom and Dad are here to see this."

Unfortunately, nothing could wake the girl up now as Beedrill counted to ten, ringing the bell and exclaiming, "And the winner of the third match of the second round is Garchomp!" the Russian fans cheering for her while the French fans looked down in disappointment.

Machoke immediately jumped over the guardrails, sprinting over to the ring and shouting, "GARDEVOIR! ARE YOU OKAY!?" Weedle calling in a medical team to come to the ring.

Garchomp looked down at the girl lying there and knelt down, saying, "You fought a good fight, kid. Don't let this one loss crush your spirits," Gallade, Kirlia and Ralts running over to make sure Gardevoir was alright as well.

Garchomp got up and thought, 'I wish I had friends like that,' the dragon exiting the ring and noticing Lucario shooting a glance at her with Amanda by his side, the girl asking, "You think you could take her?" Lucario folding his arms and replying, "She'll be a tough adversary, but I think I can manage."

Gardevoir's family stood by Gardevoir's side as she was loaded up onto the hospital bed, Kirlia asking, "Will she be okay?" Ralts resting an arm on her shoulder and replying, "Honey, you dealt with losses like this during your time, too. She's our daughter. She can tough it out," the man then sighing, "You did a great job, honey."

Gallade simply looked at them and asked, "Why didn't you say anything until now?" Kirlia replying, "We figured out presence might make her nervous," Gallade shrugging and replying, "That might be true, actually," Machoke thinking, 'So now the whole family's together. Not the best reunion, that's for sure.'

The family continued to give encouraging words while Gardevoir was loaded into the back of the truck, Beedrill stating, "With that match out of the way, join us for the next one in a couple of hours! This one will take place in the local park," Weedle adding, "The exact same park where Machoke and Lopunny fought, so don't be late."

Machoke had trouble focusing as he ran over to the truck, saying, "Can I ride with you to the hospital?" Ralts and Kirlia turning to him as Gallade sighed, "Sorry to say this, Machoke, but you should seriously watch the match between Metang and Lucario. One of those two might be your opponent in the finals, remember?"

The boy blinked as Kirlia bowed her head to him, saying, "Thank you so much for helping our daughter," Ralts giving him thumbs up and adding, "You seem like a great guy, Machoke. We should hang out during downtime. I'll buy you a drink," the two along with Gallade and Hitmonchan climbing into the back of the ambulance, the vehicle taking off from the area as Reika and her friends walked over, Reika saying, "She'll be fine, Machoke."

Machoke nodded and smiled, saying, "Yeah, I know. She's strong. She can handle this," Blaziken walking over and adding, "Gallade's also right. We still barely know a thing about Lucario's abilities, and I see him as the most likely hero to make it to the finals."

The boy nodded and headed over to the vehicle that would take him and the remaining participants to the next match. Of course, the ride would be a bit more awkward as there were only five left, and not one of the heroes joining Machoke was one of his friends.

For some odd reason, Lucario was giving him a dark look. Machoke had never seen this from him. He did remember the stories of how his father had stripped Riolu of his championship title, but he had no idea how serious Lucario was about it. Up to this point, Lucario seemed to have nothing against Machoke and had even helped him defeat Talonflame, so where was this coming from?

While the heroes were transported to the park, Gardevoir had been rushed to the hospital and placed in a bed, her family by her side as Gallade patted his parents on the shoulders. After all, they looked even more worried than he did, and he was already as worried as a protective brother could be.

"She'll be fine," the boy said, "She was also hospitalized when she fought Lopunny and she came out okay," Kirlia nodding and replying, "I know, it's just... this is the first time watching her fight in person and she suffers a horrible defeat," Ralts nodding and replying, "We just have to remember one thing. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger and this loss didn't kill her, so she's only likely to become stronger, right?"

The two parents nodded as Hitmonchan smiled warmly, saying, "You guys get along great," before sighing, "It's painful to think my family almost fell apart," Gallade nodding and replying, "At least you learned your lesson."

At that moment, the cloaked figure entered and said, "You're not too far from the truth, Ralts. She will get stronger, and I'm going to help," the man turning, about to ask who this figure was when Kirlia took a deep breath, saying, "It's nice to see you after so long, Psyla."

With that, the figure smirked and said, "Can't pull the wool over your eyes, can I?" before removing her hood to reveal a blue wolf with red and black fur around her snout. Going halfway down her back was long messy hair of the same colour. Also sharing the red and black colour were her hands, feet and the tip of her tail.

Gallade and Ralts stared wide-eyed as Hitmonchan asked, "Who's Psyla?" Gallade shrugging and replying, "I don't really know, but I've heard mention of her before."

"Oh, that's right, neither you nor your sister have met her," Kirlia said with a smile, "Psyla here is my sister," Gallade's eyes going wide as he asked, "Wait, my aunt is a wolf?"

Psyla nodded and replied, "Yes, our father was a wolf named Zoroark," Gallade staring at Ralts who replied, "Don't look at me. She's related to your mother, remember?" the boy turning toward Kirlia and asking, "How long were you planning to hide this from us!?"

The woman took a deep breath as Psyla asked, "Yeah, that's a good question. Why did you never tell your kids about me?" Kirlia sighing, "I was meaning to at one point but I forgot," all going silent as Ralts stared at the woman, saying, "Wow. I have nothing to say to that, honey."

"Wait," Hitmonchan uttered, "Your grandpa is the famous Zoroark?" Gallade replying, "I didn't know that either," Kirlia sighing, "Yes, you did actually know him, but he died when you were two, so I guess it makes sense that you wouldn't remember him, especially since he was camera-shy."

Gallade blinked and sighed, "What else don't I know about our family?" Psyla sighing, "Look, the point is that I'm here for a reason. Being related to your mother by blood, I also have the famous power the females in the family have, but one thing I have managed to do that no one else in the family has up to this point is learn to control it."

Kirlia's eyes widened as she remarked, "You learned to control it!? That is so unfair!" Psyla ignoring this and adding, "Gardevoir has come close but hasn't quite mastered it yet. I intend to help her figure it out," Gallade asking, "So you mean merging her normal state with the power wasn't the same as mastering it?" Psyla shaking her head and saying, "It's different from what anyone in the family's ever done, but it's not quite the same."

Kirlia was still feeling envious of her sister right now as Gallade asked, "I have one last question. If you're my aunt, why do you look like you're as old as me?" Psyla chuckling and replying, "Don't you know? Canines barely change their appearances when they get older. Seriously, a thirteen-year-old dog does not look that much different from a two-year-old," the boy blinking and replying, "That... actually makes sense," the boy then remembering that Riolu did not look a day over fifteen himself.

At around this time, everyone else had arrived at the park, the audience members deciding to go for a walk to pass the time. Blaziken and Machoke were walking together as the boy sighed, "Man, just about everyone's at the hospital right now."

Blaziken shrugged and replied, "Well, I'm sure things'll be better tomorrow. Gallade sent me a text saying they would be there to watch your match tomorrow. Even Heracross is going to come to make sure you take Ninetales down," Machoke groaning, "Right, I'd almost forgotten about my promise."

Blaziken rolled her eyes, hoping this was not intentional when the two noticed Scrafty and Bisharp walking around. Machoke waved at them as the two ran over to them, Blaziken saying, "Hey there, how have you two been doing?"

Scrafty turned and grinned, saying, "Not bad. How have ya been?" Bisharp replying, "As if we need to ask that of Machoke. He has so far, how you say, been on fire in this tournament, and I would expect no less from such a champion."

The lizard grinned, turning to Machoke and saying, "Yeah, I'd love to face you someday. I envy Bisharp," Machoke grinning and replying, "Hey, as long as it's under good conditions, I'd be up to it."

Blaziken then gave the two an odd look and asked, "Say, why haven't you guys been around for the other matches up to this point?" the chicken pointing at Scrafty and adding, "Especially you! You missed both of Gardevoir's matches!" Scrafty replying, "I saw them on TV. I would have gone in person, but every time I went ta get tickets, they were always sold out," Bisharp replying, "It is my fault we never arrived on time. I kept stopping to help people in need," the lizard patting him on the shoulder and replying, "That is nothing ta be ashamed of."

"So I take it you managed to score tickets for this one, then," Machoke replied as the two nodded, Bisharp replying, "Indeed. It would seem there are less people walking out into traffic among other things going on today. Besides, I must know how Lucario is representing our country."

"Nice to know you value him over your actual friends," Machoke uttered with an awkward look on his face, Scrafty sighing, "Alright, we'll be sure ta make your match tomorrow. After all, that Ninetales is a scary contender."

With that, the group soon headed toward the bleachers where Reika and her friends along with Aipom were already seated. There seemed to be a lot of excitement among the crowd, more so than usual.

Machoke and Blaziken took a seat near the girls while Scrafty and Bisharp found empty seats right behind them, Reika giving them a quick smile before turning her attention toward the ring, Beedrill exclaiming, "Welcome, everyone to the final match of the second round! Tensions are high as everyone has been looking the most forward to this match!"

"This is the one everyone's been looking forward to!?" Machoke remarked, "But what about MY match!? Their matches were so short!" Aipom sighing, "That's a big part of the reason. Because both Metang and Lucario finished their opponents so quickly, many believe them to be the toughest fighters in the tournament," Scrafty sighing, "If ya ask me, I thought their opponents were kinda lame," Bisharp shrugging and replying, "Still, their victories are not without merit. We shall see if this really is the most exciting match of the second round or not."

Nori smiled and exclaimed, "In the red corner, representing England, a mysterious dog who has not shown us a lot of his abilities but is still able to pack a punch, Lucario!" the British fans going wild when the dog walked toward the ring, only this time he was in tip-top condition.

"His head's in the game this time," Machoke uttered, "This might be over even more quickly than the last one," Aipom blinking and replying, "I'm amazed you actually remembered that," the boy glaring at the monkey.

As Lucario stepped gracefully into the ring, he noticed Amanda waving to him with a big smile on her face, the dog smiling back briefly before turning his attention to the match that would be starting soon. Clauncher was also among the British fans as being a fan of Lucario herself, she saw no reason to separate herself from that division to sit in the middle bleachers

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "coming to us from Croatia, a tower cyborg with a lot of might, Metang!" the Croatian fans cheering loudly as the cyborg approached the ring, a serious look in his eyes as he made his way over to the ring, leaping high into the air and landing firmly against the canvas.

Tensions were even higher now as the two fighters stared each-other down. This might just be the most exciting match of the second round. Only time would tell.


	54. Chapter 54

Disclaimer: The show Clauncher refers to, Futurama, is an animated comedy series made by Matt Groening and not something I made up for the fic.

Tensions were high as Metang and Lucario stared each-other down, both waiting for the bell to ring. Sure, these two had no personal qualms with one-another, but at the very least, Metang had been wanting to face Lucario for quite some time.

Clauncher simply whistled with her big claw up against her lips when she did so, the lobster exclaiming, "YEAH, SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS! YOU'RE THE MAN, LUCARIO!" Amanda turning to her and smiling sweetly before exclaiming, "Yeah, kick his shiny metal ass, bro!" Clauncher asking, "Are you a Futurama fan?" Amanda blinking and asking, "What's Futurama?"

Machoke at least knew Lucario, so a part of him was supportive of the dog. After all, he had helped him defeat Talonflame, so Machoke saw no reason to resent him. Even so, Lucario had been freaking him out since his match with Primeape.

One audience member who definitely wanted to see Metang win was Starmie. After being defeated and even having been taught a lesson about her fighting skills by him, she wanted to see him at least make his way to the finals.

With that, the bell was finally rung as Lucario wasted no time sprinting toward Metang, the cyborg unable to respond as the dog leapt up over him and planting his feet hard into his skull. The British fans broke out into heavy cheering while Lucario sent various rapid kicks into that very spot, Metang groaning from the pain. Sure, he may have been made of steel, but that did not mean he could not feel pain when a powerful move was used on him.

"Don't think for a minute that I wasn't paying attention to your match with Starmie," Lucario said, "Her lack of skills cemented your victory, but if she had more up her sleeve, you would have lost for sure," the starfish looking down and wondering if that was true, the dog adding, "What I mean is that while you are physically strong, you are also quite slow and thus you are an easy target."

"Maybe you should pay more attention to the fight instead of your bragging," Metang retorted, Lucario's eyes going wide when he noticed the cyborg was now holding onto his ankles while adding, "You got after me for my speed, but you didn't even think to prepare yourself for this?"

The dog had to admit he was feeling a tad embarrassed not to have seen this coming but he certainly had no time to think about this as the cyborg proceeded to swing him downward, slamming his back hard against the mat. The Croatian fans cheered as Amanda and Clauncher both face-palmed simultaneously.

Before the dog could get back up, Metang proceeded to grab onto his head before spinning his arm around, shouting, "ULTIMATE WINDUP PITCH!" hurling the dog face-first into the turnbuckle.

Machoke winced and uttered, "Okay, Metang might actually have a chance," Aipom sighing, "Well, he was certainly right with what he said earlier. Lucario's carelessness put him in that spot."

And while Lucario was certainly aware of this, too, there was no way he was going to beat himself up for this. As such, the dog waited for Metang to get close before slowly rising to his feet. However, before he would do a thing, the cyborg locked his arms around Lucario's shoulders, the dog's eyes widening.

"LUCARIO, YOU CAN GET OUT OF THAT!" Amanda exclaimed, Clauncher adding, "YEAH, I'VE SEEN YOU DEAL WITH WORSE!" the sister turning to the lobster as she added, "We fought in a team match to stop a pair of criminals," Amanda sighing, "So that's why he looked so beat up when he came home."

However, it seemed Lucario had allowed himself to be captured by Metang as before the cyborg could connect a suplex, the dog latched his legs right up against the sides of his head seeing as Metang did not have a neck. The cyborg's eyes widened when Lucario also managed to grab hold of his ankles. Since Metang had had the dog too close to the ground to stop himself in time, he ended up flipping himself over thus allowing Lucario to connect a frankensteiner.

The British fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "That is quite possibly one of the most creative counters I've ever seen! Lucario really is a force to be reckoned with!" Reika uttering, "I don't think I've ever seen someone pull off something like that."

"Well, that was a risky move on Lucario's part," Aipom replied, "Metang is much heavier and stronger than him, right, and with Lucario holding onto his ankles and head, Metang certainly would have at least slipped forward. However, if Lucario had not applied so much force with his legs, Metang certainly could have fallen right on top of him and dealt even more damage than that suplex would have done. Needless to say, none of us should underestimate Lucario."

"That was awesome!" Clauncher exclaimed, Amanda applauding her brother with a big smile on her face before breathing a sigh of relief.

However, it seemed that move had actually taken a bit out of the dog as he was breathing a bit. Even with his strength, that took a lot of effort to make that move work. And to make matters worse, Metang was still in good enough condition to rise to his feet with ease, once again wrapping his arms around the dog, only this time he had locked his arms in place.

"There," Metang said with a sigh, "Now you can't use that countermeasure of yours!" the cyborg lifting Lucario up as Amanda and Clauncher both stared in horror, Lucario knowing better than to try locking onto his head again due to the possible results Aipom spoke of, the dog's head hitting the canvas hard while the Croatian fans cheered.

"You're not the only one who can learn about his opponents from watching them fight," Metang said, "I barely saw a thing from you before, so I was unprepared for those two moves you managed to hit me with. However, after seeing how you countered my suplex, it was obvious how I could prevent that from happening."

The British fans along with Clauncher all looked concerned now as Metang proceeded to knee down, slamming his knee repeatedly into the dog's side. Lucario was trying his hardest to get up but was having trouble. After all, Metang may have been slow, but he was still at least twice as physically strong as Lucario so it was hard to ignore the pain he was feeling right now.

Amanda's eyes widened as she exclaimed, "COME ON, LUCARIO! YOU'RE LOOKING PATHETIC RIGHT NOW!" the dog's eyes widening as one member of the audience remarked, "Still thy tongue, lady! He's trying his best!" Amanda remarking, "He's my brother! I know he's capable of better than this!" the dog uttering, "Yes, you're right, I am."

With that, the dog rolled to the side to avoid the next knee kick, Metang sighing, "That's not gonna help," before leaping toward Lucario, hoping to plant his feet into his back to stop him from rolling.

However, Lucario was ready this time as he smirked and pushed himself off the mat, flinging himself to the side and avoiding the incoming move. The crowd stared in absolute bewilderment as the dog flew over to the ropes and propelled himself off, sending both of his feet hard into the cyborg's gut.

"I was so intimidated by how strong most of your body is that I tricked myself into thinking your knees were actually strong!" Lucario stated, sending a low kick into the cyborg's shin. Metang's eyes widened as Lucario raced around him and delivered a kick to his other shin while adding, "But there is a big flaw in your design. While your forearms and feet are big and powerful, your arms and shins are thin and therefor easy to exploit!"

The British fans cheered wildly as Aipom asked, "He didn't catch onto that right away?" Machoke replying, "Even I figured his legs might be a weak spot the moment I first saw him."

Metang fumed and swung his arm at Lucario's head only for the dog to duck under it, lifting up his arms just in time to latch onto that very spot. He then proceeded to lift himself up, wrapping his legs around the lower half of the arm and holding on tight, the British fans even more excited now.

Metang's eyes were wide open. The cyborg could not believe how much this was hurting. He was made of steel and yet this simple submission hold was actually dealing great pain.

However, while he thought of a way to get out of this, Starmie exclaimed, "COME ON, METANG, YOU'RE MUCH STRONGER THAN THIS! DON'T LET HIM GET TO YOU!" the cyborg's eyes widening as he could not believe his last opponent was actually cheering him on. Sure, he was used to support and cheers from fans but never from those he had fought before.

With that in mind, the cyborg narrowed his eyelids and said, "It might harm me a bit, but I think I'm gonna try a little something I learned from watching Garchomp fight Gardevoir," Lucario's eyes going wide as the cyborg spread out his knee so it was under his arm then proceeded to lift it up.

Unfortunately for him, Lucario had seen this coming a mile away and released his hold on the cyborg thus causing him to ram his arm into his knee. His arm took in a bit of pain from this but what ended up making things worse was when the dog proceeded to drop kick hard into his skull.

Amanda took a deep breath, saying, "He's doing really well now," Clauncher patting her on the shoulder and replying, "You gave him the motivation he needed."

"What a comeback, folks!" Nori exclaimed, "Things were looking really bad for Lucario but now he seems unstoppable! Let's see if this can keep up!"

Metang simply took a deep breath, ignoring the pain to his head as he said, "Now that's more like it," the cyborg turning his attention toward the dog and adding, "I was beginning to wonder how your family has such a strong reputation and now I can see why. You've got some great speed and even a good amount of strength, but most of all, you seem capable of getting out of tough scrapes when the time comes. But even so, I'm still going to win this!"

With that, the cyborg rushed at Lucario again, the dog once again getting ready to dodge. However, when he did so, Metang seemed ready as he shouted, "GYRO SAUCER!" the cyborg then lifting up his arms and spreading them outward, his head with his arm attached spinning around like a buzz saw.

Lucario had no time to react as he took in five blows to his face before leaping backward, taking many deep breaths as his eyes were wide open with shock. The cyborg refused to let up, though, as he proceeded to walk toward the dog, Amanda and Clauncher not even sure what he could do about this.

Blood was now dripping from the dog's snout as he took a deep breath, thinking, 'Okay, he's moving his arms really fast,' waiting for the cyborg to get close as he ducked down, sending a roundhouse into Metang's side. However, this proved ineffective as the cyborg simply lowered his body while his arms were still spinning, Lucario taking in another hard blow to the face and flying away from him and into the turnbuckle, the back of his head hitting the pole hard.

However, the dog then remembered something about Metang and smirked, now ignoring the pain coursing through him as he simply stayed there, Amanda trembling as Machoke asked, "Is he giving up? I didn't think he was the type to do that," Blaziken shaking her head and remarking, "No, look at his eyes."

At that moment, Machoke and the others including Clauncher and Amanda could see it. Lucario had that glimmer in his eyes that formed when he was facing Primeape. The other members of the audience did not notice this, but even so, Lucario was not going to sustain another hit.

And it certainly seemed so as when Metang got close enough, the dog through out his arms only this time pointing the back of each hand out as the cyborg's incoming arm rammed right into it. As a result, the spikes on those very spots were now lodged into the cyborg's forearms as the dog clung on tight, allowing Metang to carry him.

"NICE EFFORT, BUT THAT'S NOT GONNA DO A THING TO HELP YOU!" Metang spat as he took full advantage of this, running Lucario's back into the turnbuckle repeatedly. However, it seemed the dog had allowed him to do this as he ignored the pain to his back completely before noticing Metang stopping his attack, breathing heavily.

Everyone stared silently as Lucario smirked, lifting up his legs and locking them onto Metang's arm again. What happened next was different though as he proceeded to pull backward, the cyborg's eyes going wide as Lucario had managed to pull him backward, slamming his back hard against the mat before removing his claws, a bit of blood mixed with oil coming from Metang's forearm.

"Something I remembered from your match with Starmie was that when you used your Rocket Punch technique, you seemed to lose quite a bit of energy," Lucario stated while folding his arms, "I figured it was only a matter of time until this move took a similar toll on you," the cyborg's eyes wide open as the dog added, "Let me guess, you were actually hoping to finish me with that, weren't you?"

With that, Lucario proceeded to amaze the crowd even more as he wrapped one arm around Metang's head and proceeded to drag him toward the ropes, everyone staring at this in confusion as the dog added, "I think it's high time I had a little fun!" Amanda then noticed that same powerful aura that had appeared when he regained his strength during his match with Primeape.

"Look at that!" Nori exclaimed, "Metang should be too heavy for Lucario to lift up and yet here he is doing just that!" Clauncher cheering before noticing Amanda did not look so happy, the girl uttering, "That's because this isn't really him."

Once the two were close enough to the ropes, Lucario rested Metang's head right up against them before running sideways, dragging the cyborg's head against the material as everyone gasped, Nori stating, "Lucario's now using a move that could possibly cause brain damage. For humans, this would be against the rules. That's how serious this move is."

"Is that true?" Machoke asked as Aipom nodded, Cici uttering, "But then why would Lucario use it? He knows this is a fight between heroes, right?" Reika shrugging and replying, "Well, he wouldn't be the first one to resort to extremes throughout this tournament."

However, Amanda looked nowhere near as accepting as she could not help but wonder what her brother was thinking. Sure, Metang was strong, but that did not excuse him resorting to such a tactic. She saw him as an awesome fighter who did not need to rely on such tactics.

After a while, Lucario stopped his attack and surprised the crowd even more by lifting Metang up by the arm and slamming his skull hard into the canvas, not even giving him a chance to get up before stomping on his face. Weedle stared at this and said, "Okay, I know his family is strong, but he wasn't able to pull off moves like that before."

Clauncher simply looked at Amanda's expression and asked, "What's wrong? He's winning," Amanda remarking, "Look at his face," the lobster turning and staring in shock as she saw it clear as day. Not only did Lucario have a serious look in his eyes, but he was smirking right now.

Blaziken noticed this too as Machoke uttered, "Did he snap or something? I've never seen him with this expression before," Blaziken's eyes wide open as she uttered, "I think he's going back to the time he used to serve evil," the others staring at her save for Aipom who nodded and replied, "I don't think that's too far from the truth."

"I have to admit," Lucario said while keeping Metang's head under his foot and rubbing it against the skull, "I've actually been holding back up to this point. Because this has been a fight between heroes, I haven't been giving it my all, but clearly I need to go to more extreme measures if I'm to defeat you."

The crowd was restless now as Nori stated, "Well, you heard it from Lucario. He really means business and he'll resort to under-handed tactics to win!" but just as she had said this, one of the British fans spat, "Nonsense!"

Another member of the crowd added, "He must be bluffing! Lucario may have been evil once, but he's honest and true now! He sacrificed a secret to save Tokyo!" another exclaiming, "That's right! Lucario is a true warrior of peace!"

"Would you all shut up!?" Lucario retorted much to everyone's shock, Machoke blinking as the dog sighed, "Make no mistake! I am still on the side of good and nothing is ever going to change that, but I also believe in doing my absolute best to succeed and represent this country! I'm still following the rules, so it's not exactly fowl play, is it!?"

The crowd simply nodded as he actually had a good point. However, Amanda was absolutely horrified as while Lucario had said this, his aura had gotten bigger. Just where was this coming from? She had never seen it before his match with Primeape and as if that was not enough, she seemed to be the only one who noticed it.

Clauncher noticed her expression and said, "I know you're disappointed in Lucario, but he's doing this to bring glory back to your family," Amanda biting her lip and nodding her head in silence, though deep down inside, she was starting to lose interest in the family honour. She could tell that her brother was not himself right now and that something was going on.

Even Machoke was feeling uneasy as Blaziken nodded, saying, "I can see why you're so tense, Machoke. Something isn't right. I may not know Lucario that well, but I detected a lack of sincerity in his voice," Aipom not saying a thing right now as the chicken had taken the words out of her mouth.

Reika and the others were now concerned, hoping this did not go beyond the point of just winning when Metang slowly pushed himself up, glaring at Lucario, his eyes glowing briefly. The Croatian fans were confused, not that they had never seen this before. It was the fact that Metang's eyes only glowed when he was faced with a really dangerous villain.

The cyborg took a deep breath and uttered, "You're wrong," the dog asking, "Are you insinuating that I'm not following the rules?" Metang retorting, "No, I mean your ideals right now make no sense!"

All went silent as the cyborg added, "You say you're reformed, that you're on the side of good, but right now, I'm not buying it!" Lucario remarking, "What are you talking about!? Are you saying that just because we're heroes, we have to hold back against everyone!?" the cyborg grunting, "YOU SOUND JUST LIKE TALONFLAME RIGHT NOW!"

All went silent as Clauncher groaned, "Oh, that was cold," Lucario gritting his teeth as Metang added, "Everyone knows of that match between Machoke and Talonflame, how you exposed that monster's secret to the world! I actually looked up to you when you did that, and yet right now, you're fighting in a similar fashion to how he would fight! You're trying to win with as much malice as possible and all the while, you hide behind some false morality to justify your actions!"

Amanda bit her lip. Her mind was telling her not to believe a word Metang was saying and just trust her brother's judgement but her heart was telling her otherwise. However, Lucario seemed not to think that way at all right now as he sighed, "All that matters right now is that you're standing in the way of victory and as long as we're in this ring facing off against each-other, we're enemies."

With that, Metang charged toward the dog with his arm back, his hand clenched into a fist and glowing as he spat, "METEOR MASH!" sending his fist forward only for Lucario to throw his arm toward it while barking, "FORCE PALM!"

Both hand collided with one-another as an explosion formed around the two. All went silent, Machoke in absolute panic, the boy scared to face either one of these two in the finals. But when the smoke cleared, the Croatian fans gasped in absolute terror when they saw Machoke standing there with an entire forearm missing. The reason for this became clear rather quickly when everyone noticed the fragments on the canvas right in front of the cyborg, Metang's eyes wide as the rest of his arm started to twitch.

Surrounding the scattered remains and pouring from a hole on the end of his arm was blood and oil. The crowd could not believe it, the British fans even having trouble supporting this. Lucario had just destroyed one of his opponent's body parts and worst of all, he acted as if this meant absolutely nothing.

Beedrill turned to Weedle and asked, "Isn't that against the rules?" Weedle sighing, "Unfortunately, in a battle between heroes, no, especially with a cyborg as he can be repaired. Even so, had he gone so far as to behead him, that would have been going too far."

Machoke could hear this as he groaned, "Seriously, what else is legal in official matches? We have rules and yet just about everything is deemed acceptable," Aipom sighing, "Well, rules that apply to humans don't really apply to heroes as, well, heroes recover much more quickly than humans do," the boy retorting, "That hardly sounds like a good excuse!"

Blaziken sighed, "I agree, but this is reality. Right now, Lucario may have resorted to underhanded tactics but he is yet to break a single rule. It's just like Metang said. He's fighting like Talonflame did, resorting to dirty tactics while using the logic that villains also fight like that as an excuse. It's almost like he's transformed into the villain he used to be."

Metang's entire body was now twitching his head made a three-hundred-and-sixty degree turn, the cyborg shouting, "I WON'T LOSE!" before sending is fists forward at rapid speed and exclaiming, "BULLET PUNCH!" the cyborg sending his arms forward at rapid speed, managing to land two strikes with his remaining fist until Lucario spat, "FORCE PALM!" sending his palm hard into that fist and blowing the forearm into fragments.

The Croatian fans all stared in absolute horror at the sight of this as Lucario sighed, "You might have gotten results if you'd done that when both hands were still connected," Metang uttering, "You're evil..."

The dog simply ignored these words as he raced behind the cyborg, Clauncher and Amanda now scared as he proceeded to latch onto the cyborg's shoulders, leaning backward and setting himself up in a bridge formation thus pressing Metang up against his chest spike. Just like when Primeape had fought him, his spike had gone a little bit further than usual to the point where blood and oil was pouring out of the cyborg's back.

"And with that, Lucario has connected his strongest move!" Nori exclaimed, "I think I can safely say this match might just be over!" the dog releasing his hold on Metang after a few seconds, kicking him in the back to force him off and on his side before getting up and breathing heavily.

Beedrill started up the ten count as Weedle shook his head, directing the wasp's attention to Metang's eyes. Each one was now an X. This was a sign that Metang was unconscious but thankfully not dead.

As such, Beedrill rang the bell and exclaimed, "AND THE WINNER OF THE FINAL MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND IS LUCARIO!" all going silent as Lucario rose his arm in triumph, the British fans going wild. Sure, the dog may have scared them for a while, but he had assured them he was on the side of good and that was enough for them.

Unfortunately, while even Clauncher was applauding him, Amanda looked angry right now. It was not that she was unhappy that her brother had won but rather she was disappointed by how he had done it. She had heard that Riolu back in the day was arrogant before his loss to Machamp but it had never gone on record that he was incapable of showing mercy on his opponents.

Many staff members had to carry Metang toward the stretcher due to his weight while gathering up the remains of his forearms, Lucario sighing, "He had the balls to call me evil, but I didn't deal that much damage to his arms. I left the fragments big so he could be repaired. No sense putting a fellow hero out of commission for personal gain, right?"

Reika nodded and said, "That is a good point," Aipom sighing, "Well, there is one thing to remember, Machoke, Lucario is truly a force to be-" the monkey turning and noticing the boy was trying to flee for his life from the bleachers, Reika holding onto the back of his speedo to keep him from getting away as the monkey face-palmed, Cici and Tsuya both shielding their eyes for obvious reasons.

Amanda continued to stare silently at her brother as he did not even cast a glance her way. It was as if he forgot she and Clauncher were there and as such, she got up and walked out of the area with a cold look on her face.

"And that wraps up the second round," Beedrill stated, "Like before, the heroes will have a three-day recess to ready themselves for the semi-finals, but be sure to join us at another stadium made specifically for the Olympics tomorrow," the wasp pointing out the location on a big map as all became clear. Would the next set of matches be as exciting? Only time would tell.


	55. Chapter 55

Things seemed to be looking up for Lucario now. After a tough fight, he had managed to defeat Metang and was moving onto the semi-finals. Even so, it was at this moment he finally noticed Amanda was not among the crowd, his eyes going wide as he saw Clauncher still there. Where had his sister run off to?

However, he then noticed her storming away from of the area, taking a deep breath and making his way out of the ring. No one questioned this as Metang's body had already been loaded up into the ambulance, so there was no reason for the dog to stay in the ring any longer.

Once out of everyone's sight, Lucario sprinted down the path, soon catching up with Amanda and tapping her on the shoulder. The girl bit her lip, a part of her not wanting to face him right now but at the same time, she did not want him to feel like she was ignoring him. As such, she turned to face him with a fake smile, saying, "Oh, hey, Lucario."

"Hi," the dog replied, "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Amanda biting her lip and letting out a deep breath, replying, "Be honest with me. Is there something going on with you?"

Lucario stared with confusion and asked, "I beg your pardon?" the girl sighing, "It's just, once again, you showed more malice than usual," Lucario replying, "I just really wanted to win so I tried a little harder," Amanda remarking, "That's not what I mean!"

The dog was even more confused now as the girl added, "It's not just the fact that you were using dirty tactics to win, but, well, you seemed to enjoy it," the dog blinking and asking, "You thought I liked having to resort to such extremes?" the girl remarking, "You had a smirk on your face!"

Lucario blinked and rubbed the back of his head, replying, "I guess I did," before sighing, "Look, sis, I'm not returning to the dark side if that's what you're thinking. I refuse to go back to that life. I was just happy that I had the advantage, that's all," Amanda nodding and replying, "Okay," a light smile on her face.

A part of her was having a lot of trouble believing this, but she had already overcome her distrust of him. She did not want to act like a jerk toward her brother again by jumping to assumptions, so she chose to believe him. However, a part of her was still doubting it.

All-in-all, the quarter-finals had ended and it was time for a three-day recess. This meant the heroes could do whatever they wanted until the semi-finals.

With three days to prepare, Machoke was put to work, Aipom having him work extra hard to prepare for his match with Ninetales. After all, the kitsune was a scary opponent, so Machoke would have to be at the top of his game if he was to keep his promise.

It seemed Scyther's injuries were even worse than expected as she could only breathe right now, Scizor staying by her side. However, she stayed by her mother's side, Scyther had her promise to watch the match between Machoke and Ninetales so he would have the extra support.

And of course Gardevoir's family was still visiting to make sure she would be okay. However, Psyla was the one spending the most time at the hospital as she wanted to be there when the girl finally regained consciousness.

But probably the most curious case right now was Lucario's behaviour during the next three days. He still trained hard like always, but he also took time out of his schedule to spend downtime with Amanda, something he had not done before his match with Metang. This actually removed a lot of the doubt his sister had as he was starting to care about more than the tournament and his family's pride again.

After three days had passed, Gardevoir had finally awoken, the girl rubbing her head as thankfully, Garchomp had not been quite as hard on her as Ninetales had been on Scyther. Her whole family was there to see it, big smiles on their faces as Gallade hugged his sister, the girl patting him on the back.

Though her joy turned to shock when she noticed her parents, squeaking, "What are you doing here!?" Ralts laughing nervously as Kirlia sighed, "We came to see your match," Gardevoir biting her lip as the woman patted her on the shoulder, saying, "You were great out there, honey. Don't look so down in the dumps."

The girl nodded as Ralts said, "Hey, your mother here lost the second round of the twenty-second Olympics and didn't even make it past the first in the previous one," Kirlia sighing, "He's not lying," Gardevoir smiling softly and saying, "So I did as good as you did."

This certainly calmed her down before she noticed a certain wolf who had been standing there the whole time with her arms folded, the girl asking, "Who are you?" Gallade nodding and saying, "Oh yeah, Gardevoir, this is Auntie Psyla," the wolf replying, "Just Psyla is fine," before blushing lightly and adding, "Auntie makes me feel old," Kirlia face-palming and sighing, "Why did I know you would say that?"

Gardevoir gasped, "We have an aunt?" the girl staring at her brother as he laughed nervously, replying, "Don't look at me. I didn't know until very recently," Kirlia laughing nervously and adding, "I was going to tell you about her someday," Ralts sighing, "Don't finish that statement, honey."

Gardevoir did not feel in the least bit upset though. In fact, she was just happy to meet another member of the family as a light smile formed on her face. After all, if there was one group of people Gardevoir could never bring herself to hold a grudge against, it was her family.

"I have an aunt," Gardevoir said with a cute smile, slowly getting up and bowing her head, saying, "It's very nice to meet you," Psyla taking a deep breath and replying, "You've certainly matured nicely," the girl then asking, "But wait, if you're related to us, why are you a wolf?" Gallade replying, "It's because Mom's dad was Zoroark."

Gardevoir's eyes sparkled as she had indeed heard of the great Zoroark. He was a fox who fought alongside Machoke's grandfather, Machop on a few occasions. Supposedly, he was the best ally the man and his friends ever had, though there had been no mention of Kirlia's mother having an attachment to him.

"But wait, Zoroark was a fox, wasn't he?" Gardevoir asked as Gallade blinked, saying, "That's a good point," Psyla laughing nervously and replying, "I know you're both probably wondering a lot about me, but that's not why I'm here," the wolf then adding, "Look, Gardevoir, I'm here to teach you how to truly control your power because this is something I was able to pull off."

The girl blinked before replying, "You don't need to do that. I've already done that," the wolf shaking her head and replying, "Actually, you haven't quite mastered it yet. You've done something no one has been able to do by merging with your powered-up state, but in doing so, you can no longer possess that burst of power you had whenever the violet glow appeared. Your regular form got stronger, sure, but your powered-up state got weaker as a result."

Gardevoir nodded and smiled, saying, "I'm okay with that. I just gotta keep training to work around that," Psyla sighing, "That's a good attitude to have, but what if I were to tell you that you could still draw out that power even with both of your states merged into one?"

The girl blinked as Gallade said, "I think you're awesome right now, but that's not a bad idea," Kirlia and Ralts nodding as Gardevoir nodded, replying, "Actually, I would like to learn something like that. I'm okay losing with Garchomp because she's a hero, but if I ever face a villain with that kind of strength, I might need this knowledge."

Psyla nodded and replied, "It's good to know we're on the same page," the wolf resting her hands on Gardevoir's shoulders and adding, "By the time we're done, you'll be even more awesome."

During this time, Machoke continued to train while Aipom was guiding him through it, the boy soon taking a break due to him getting exhausted. Aipom took a deep breath herself and said, "I think you might just be ready for tomorrow's match," the boy asking, "Really?" the monkey nodding and replying, "Yeah, you've been getting so much better these days. I'm sure you'll show Ninetales a thing or two."

Machoke gulped, feeling nervous again. Sure, it was nice hearing Aipom praise him like this, but the kitsune was still a scary opponent. But he had to remember that while her parents may have been villains, she herself was not one and therefor she would not try to kill him.

During this time, Gardevoir and Psyla were now out of the hospital as Gardevoir was confirmed healthy enough to be moving. The wolf had taken in the girl to a forest to train her, telling the rest of the family to leave them alone. After all, this particular training would require a lot of concentration and even the presence of others could upset the balance.

The wolf took a deep breath and said, "Now, in order to get this right, you will have to train a lot. I would even recommend not going to Machoke's match tomorrow," Gardevoir's eyes widening as she squeaked, "But I have to be there to support him!" Psyla sighing, "If you want to put your training off a little bit longer, I won't stop you," the girl shaking her head and remarking, "No! I want to learn to control my power before more villains show up!"

The wolf took a deep breath and replied, "Well, it is good to know you're taking this seriously, but don't think you can just rush the process," Gardevoir replying, "Don't worry, I figured something like this would take a long time," the girl then whipping out her cellphone to text the others and let them know she would not be attending the match tomorrow.

Psyla stared in shock and uttered, "Wow, that is so cool," pulling out an old Motorola and adding, "Once this is over, I am totally getting a new one."

The others had received her text. Gallade, Kirlia and Ralts took a while to accept but knew it was likely for the best. However, Blaziken and Machoke were not so sure about this, Machoke especially. He was thrilled to discover she had made a full recovery and was hoping she would be there to cheer him on.

Even so, he did not wish to put pressure on her and wanted to at least respect her decision, so he simply texted 'Okay' as a response, attaching a smiley face to the end of the message. He knew she was at least cheering him on in spirit. He just had to remind himself of that.

Aipom had gotten the text as well, and luckily, Gardevoir had not forgotten to attach the reason for her absence. This was why Machoke was actually trying to be understanding instead of letting this news openly get under his skin. However, the monkey was really hoping this would not hinder his performance during his match with Ninetales.

After a few minutes, though, Machoke was actually training a bit harder now. After getting over the shock of Gardevoir's words, they actually seemed to have inspired him to try harder. If Gardevoir was going to all this trouble, taking time off from her friends to get stronger, perhaps he should try something similar.

Aipom smiled sweetly at this, proud to see him so motivated right now. Machoke had always been helping Gardevoir get stronger, that was for sure, but in a way, Gardevoir had also been helping Machoke. After all, she had been his first real friend. She made him feel less scared of the training on Hero Planet with her presence alone. And right now, she was inspiring him.

The following day, people were lining up to enter this new stadium made mostly for the Olympics. Due to there only being two matches for the day, Beedrill had scheduled them to start at noon. This was certainly different but no one was complaining.

Machoke was walking around, a smile on his face as he sighed, "Oh my god, I actually get to fight in a normal ring setting for once. I was getting sick of those weird locations from before," Aipom nodding and replying, "Yeah, I didn't like that factory one bit."

Blaziken looked around as well, the chicken noticing Heracross walking around the area and waving, exclaiming, "Hey there, Heracross!" the beetle turning and grinning, saying, "Hey, how have you been, lass?" the chicken replying, "I've been fine. I take it you came to the match."

The beetle nodded and replied, "Aye. Lopunny told me she'd rather I be here to support Machoke, so I came," Blaziken asked, "She's still too injured to leave the hospital?" Heracross nodding and sighing, "Aye, she's doing fine right now, but the doctors say it's still too early for her to be walking long distances. She's supposed to make a full recovery this afternoon, though."

Kirlia and Ralts had boarded a flight home as they had actually not booked themselves a vacation from work. It just so happened their days in Tokyo were days off and as such, they needed to head back as soon as possible. Gallade and Hitmonchan simply waved goodbye to them, the two heading off to support Machoke afterwards.

Soon enough, the seats were full with the Korean fans ready to support Ninetales and the Japanese fans ready to support Machoke. Reika and her friends once again sat in the front row, Reika really hoping this would end favourably.

However, that thought process came to an end when she noticed Golduck sitting nearby wearing a T-shirt with Machoke's face on it, her eyes widening as she asked, "Where did you get that?" the duck smirking and replying, "Like it? I made it!" before exclaiming, "MACHOKE RULES!"

At that moment, Beedrill tapped on the mic to get everyone's attention before exclaiming, "Alright, this is it, ladies and gentlemen! It's time for the first match of the semi-finals!" the crowd going wild as Nori exclaimed, "In the red corner, representing Korea and having defeated Scyther through some very unexpected means, Ninetales!"

The Korean fans were simply spellbound at Ninetales' entrance as she had actually hired some of the staff members to carry her toward the ring on a golden throne. The kitsune elegantly stepped off before leaping high into the air, performing a series of flips before landing gracefully against the ring with her arms spread out.

"Pretentious but effective," Blaziken said, "I wonder how Machoke plans to counter that," and this would be revealed soon as Nori added, "And in the blue corner, fighting for Japan, a hero who got this far by chance and has climbed his way to the semi-finals, Machoke!"

Everyone stared as the boy also hired some staff members to help him out with his, though his was a Japanese-themed float with Machoke wearing a samurai outfit while banging on a giant gong. No one even knew how to react to this. On one hand, this was far from his most embarrassing entrance but on the other hand, they had no clue what he was trying to get across with it.

Ninetales did not care though as she flipped her hair to the side, gazing upon her opponent with a serious look. All she cared about right now was winning this match and representing Korea in the finals, nothing more.

It is an honour to actually face you," the kitsune said, Machoke's confidence suddenly leaving him as he tried his hardest not to look scared, Ninetales letting out a sigh and explaining, "Machoke, please, don't be afraid to fight me. I swear, my parents may have been evil but I am not. I want this to be a fair fight to decide the winner and nothing more."

Scizor simply folded her arms thinking, 'That better be all that's on your mind,' the insect getting bad vibes from the kitsune, but even so, Machoke seemed to feel safer after hearing these words as he took a deep breath, saying, "Yeah, let's have a good, clean fight," Aipom glad to see him no longer freaking out.

However, that would soon leave when Beedrill stated, "Oh, one last thing. Since this is a very special match, Dad has decided to add something to make the match for intense!" Machoke's eyes widening as he uttered, "More intense?" everyone else just as surprised to hear this as he was.

With that, Beedrill pulled out a remote and pressed a red button on it as the middle of the mat opened up, a platform rising up to reveal a stone with spikes coming out of it. Everyone stared at this with confusion as the wasp added, "This prop if for the fighters to use on their opponents. As you can see, it's covered in spikes, so whoever touches it will take in a lot of pain."

Reika stared at this in horror and exclaimed, "That shouldn't be allowed! Someone could die if they hit that!" Blaziken replying, "Not exactly. The spikes are small enough not to pierce through anyone's flesh, but I do agree this is extreme. Machoke's in even more trouble now."

"Whatever," Golduck remarked, "He can overcome this," Heracross sighing, "For Scyther's sake, I hope so," Gallade and Hitmonchan finally showing up as the boy sighed, "Okay, good, we haven't missed anything yet."

Machoke was now terrified again. As if Ninetales' power was not bad enough, now she had this stone to use as she pleased. He really hoped she would not rely on it too much as the bell was rung, signalling the start of the match.

Ninetales and Machoke both stared at one-another, the kitsune with a serious look and Machoke with a scared one as he held up his arms defensively. Ninetales started things up by racing toward the boy only for him to step to the side and back up quickly enough to get away from her.

"Ninetales goes in for a grapple but Machoke easily dodges it," Nori said as Ninetales took a deep breath, the kitsune racing for the boy again only for him to once again back away from her.

When the same thing happened a third time, the crowd started to boo the fighters, one of them shouting, "THIS IS BORING!" another exclaiming, "STOP BEING SUCH A WIMP, MACHOKE!" Reika groaning, "I hate to say it, but I'm with the crowd on this one. If he doesn't do something, Ninetales will get him eventually."

Even the kitsune was getting rather irritated, not so much by his constant evasion but also the fact that she knew he was only doing this out of fear. He still did not fully trust her after hearing of her heritage and that offended her greatly. However, Ninetales had been taught not to act rash and as such, she took a deep breath and said, "Look, Machoke, I wasn't lying when I said I'm good. I swear on my life that I will never walk down the same path that my parents did. Now stop being scared and fight me."

"She's right," Aipom stated as Machoke turned to the monkey, "Besides, running away isn't going to help you win the match. It's just going to delay the inevitable," Blaziken sighing, "Leave it to Aipom to say the right thing," Reika not even going to bring up the fact that she had said the same thing less than a minute ago.

Before the boy could even take these words into consideration, it seemed Ninetales assumed he had gotten the point and was rushing toward him again. It looked like her assumption was correct as the boy sent a high kick hard into her face just as she got close enough, the Japanese fans going wild as the kitsune backed up into the spiked stone, yowling in pain as they dug into her back.

"YEAH, THAT'S THE STUFF!" Golduck exclaimed with a smirk as Machoke gasped, asking, "Are you okay?" Ninetales quickly getting away from the spikes and taking a deep breath, replying, "Don't worry about me. You were simply using the stone as it was intended. You did nothing wrong."

Gallade blinked and said, "You know, Ninetales kind of scared me before, but she doesn't seem so bad," Hitmonchan nodding and replying, "Yeah, she's being a really good sport. I'd be pissed off if someone kicked me into a set of spikes."

Good sportsmanship or not, Ninetales still had no intention of letting Machoke win as she now took the defensive. Machoke now had a lot more confidence as he was the one rushing toward her, but just as he was about to hit her with a karate chop, the kitsune grabbing his wrist and twisted it, the boy wincing in pain while the Korean fans went wild.

With the boy now distracted, Ninetales proceeded to wrap her arms around him, her back facing the spikes. But just as she was about to send the boy into the spikes, Machoke gritted his teeth and used a great deal of might to turn her just enough to the side so she was no longer facing the stone. As such, the kitsune lifted him up and slammed his head hard into the mat and just barely missed the stone.

Machoke quickly got up while rubbing his head, Ninetales sighing, "It hardly matters. I'm sure I can beat you without having to rely on the spikes anyway," Aipom blinking and thinking, 'I've never seen anyone pull off something like that before. How long has he been able to do that?'

Whatever the case, it had certainly worked but now Machoke was scared again. Clearly Ninetales was not afraid to send him into the stone even if she was on the side of good. And of course there was the fact that going behind her would be extremely dangerous. What could Machoke possibly do?


	56. Chapter 56

Machoke was unsure of just how his match with Ninetales would play out. On one hand, he could tell she meant business but on the other hand, she now did not seem willing to use the spiked stone as a means of defeating him. Either way, the boy knew he could not simply run and besides, he still had a promise to keep.

With that in mind, the boy went back on the defensive thinking, 'Okay, now that I've got my head in the game, I need to think of something. If I try going behind Ninetales, she'll catch me with her tails and considering how strong they are, I'd be better off worrying about her front side. Unfortunately, she can see my moves coming if I come in from the front,' the boy taking a deep breath and realizing the front was still the better option in the end.

However, Ninetales had grown tired of waiting for him to make a move as she sprinted toward him, Machoke panicking and holding his arm out just in time to block an incoming chop to his face. With that, the boy took full advantage of this, placing a firm grip on the kitsune's paw as the crowd went wild, Nori stating, "And with little time to think, Machoke blocks Ninetales' attack!"

"Alright, Machoke, you got the advantage!" Aipom spat, "Use it!" the boy nodding and uttering, "Right," before reeling Ninetales in and slamming his shoulder hard into her face, the kitsune's eyes wide with shock.

Weedle let out a sigh while thinking, 'Dammit, after seeing the lengths Ninetales went through in her last two matches, I thought for sure she would jump at the chance to use the spiked stone to her advantage. So far, she's the only one who's fallen victim to it,' Beedrill noticing his expression and asking, "Everything alright, Dad?" the caterpillar nodding and replying, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Machoke of course proceeded to do more as he took advantage of Ninetales' shock, sending a punch to her face. However, when he sent a second one toward her, the kitsune grabbed hold of his wrist and said, "Not bad, Machoke, but it's nothing I can't overcome."

With that, the fox proceeded to swing Machoke by his arm, everyone thinking she was going to throw him toward the stone only for her to direct her swing toward the turnbuckle, sending him face-first into it. Sure, Machoke had taken in quite a bit of pain from this, but it was nowhere near as bad as a face-full of spikes.

Reika took a deep breath and sighed, "I know I should be worried, but I'm just glad he hasn't been hit by that stone yet," Cici biting her lip and uttering, "I don't know. I get the feeling Ninetales wants to use it," the others staring at her as she squeaked, "I could just be imagining it, though."

The truth was that Cici was right. Ninetales may have been trying her best to look calm right now, but she was actually resisting the temptation to hurl Machoke into the spikes. She was even considering it when grasping onto his wrist, so why did she not go through with it? After all, the stone was added for combat purposes, so it would not have been against the rules for her to use it.

Whatever the case, Machoke still needed to be alert if he was going to win this match. As such, the boy examined Ninetales' movements as she was once again on the defensive. Machoke also went on the defensive himself, the two staring each-other down before Ninetales raced toward the boy and leapt high above his head, landing behind him.

Aipom's eyes widened as she screeched, "MACHOKE, RUN FORWARD!" the boy's eyes widening as he did just that, knowing Ninetales was going to try and catch him with her tails, Nori asking, "And it seems Ninetales was trying to catch Machoke with her tails without waiting for him to walk into it himself. I'm kind of surprised she hasn't used this method to do it before, but either way, Machoke was still ready."

After avoiding the move, Machoke grinned and thought, 'Yes, now I can grab her tails and use that to my advantage!' before suddenly remembering that Scyther had tried the same thing and deciding against it.

Heracross folded his arms with a look of uncertainty in his eyes as he said, "You know, so far, this match has been a little underwhelming," Reika turning and saying, "Well, yeah, not much has been happening so far, but-" the beetle cutting in and adding, "I'm mostly referring to how Ninetales is fighting. She seems to be taking a different approach to how she normally fights," Cici nodding and saying, "I've noticed it too."

Blaziken rose an eyebrow and asked, "What are y'all suggesting?" Heracross replying, "I dinnae know for sure, but I have the feeling Ninetales is deliberately holding back, like she's trying to prove something," the others even more confused as he added, "And what's more, I'm not sure if she's trying to prove it to the audience or herself."

Ninetales once again raced toward Machoke as the boy took a deep breath, seeing she had actually left herself wide open for a counterattack. As such, the boy quickly threw his arms out, grabbing hold of the kitsune's wrists. With that, the Japanese fans watched with intent as the boy proceeded to lift Ninetales over him, hurling her back as his eyes widened, the kitsune flying straight into the spiked rock.

The Japanese fans went wild as the kitsune gritted her teeth, doing her best to ignore the pain while Aipom grinned, glad Machoke had managed to pull that off. However, Machoke panicked as he had actually not intended on doing that.

Ninetales quickly propelled herself off of the stone, taking many deep breaths while glaring at Machoke. With that, she charged at him as the boy held up his arms defensively only for the fox to leap over his head, slapping him hard in the face with her tails. Now that he was distracted, she was finally able to wrap the tails around him, the boy's eyes going wide.

The Korean fans went wild as Reika groaned, "Oh no," the others worried as Aipom rubbed her head, thinking, 'Oh crap! I have no idea how he can get out of that without straining himself!' Heracross equally worried.

However, Scizor thought she might have an idea but just as she was about to suggest it, Ninetails started spinning Machoke's body around with her tails, everyone stared in confusion as she said, "You thought I was going to use my Kitsune Backbreaker, didn't you? Well, I think it's time I try something different."

The crowd went silent as Nori asked, "Is this it? Is Ninetales finally planning on using the stone?" the kitsune shaking her head and thinking, 'No, I mustn't resort to such tactics.'

However, while she continued to spin the boy, she noticed someone appear in the crowd, a forty-year-old Korean woman with flowing black hair wearing a warrior's outfit. Her eyes widened as the woman asked, "Why not throw him into the stone? After all, it's in your nature to fight dirty," the kitsune's eyes widening as the woman added, "Keep telling yourself you're on the side of good. I know who you really are under that facade."

The kitsune fumed and snapped, "SHUT UP!" before turning her back toward the stone and finally releasing Machoke while shouting, "KITSUNE BOWGUN!" launching the boy straight into the spikes as he cried out in pain, everyone gasping as Ninetales had finally brought herself to use the spikes against him.

Gallade stared in absolute horror, asking, "What the hell just happened?" Hitmonchan replying, "I'm not sure. Ninetales seems to have snapped," Blaziken sighing, "I figured even someone as calm and collective as her couldn't handle falling victim to spikes more than once."

"I have been getting the impression she's been resisting the urge to do that throughout the entire match," Cici replied, "but I don't think that's it," Heracross nodding and replying, "Aye. Something drew that out."

When Machoke backed away from the spikes, his front side now bleeding pretty badly, he took many deep breaths and turned, staring at the kitsune with terror in his expression. Ninetales blinked, her anger now subsided as she said, "I'm terribly sorry, Machoke. I had no intention of doing that," before noticing the woman again only this time in another part of the audience.

Her eyes widened as the woman glared, remarking, "Don't lie! You wanted to do that to him from the start, didn't you!?" Ninetales scowling, anger filling her as she rushed at Machoke again, this time leaping toward him and planting both her feet into his chest, sending his back into the stone as he cried out in pain again.

"I DID WHAT YOU WANTED ME TO DO!" the kitsune spat, "ARE YOU HAPPY!?" all going silent as the crowd looked around, Beedrill asking, "Who's she talking to?" Weedle replying, "Don't ask me."

Everyone else was equally confused, Aipom currently more focused on Machoke's well-being as the boy seemed to have taken in quite a bit of pain from those last two hits to say the least. Ninetales was also looking around now as the woman seemed to have vanished.

After a few seconds, the kitsune saw her in yet another spot, pointing and shouting, "THERE! EVERYBODY, LOOK, HYUN IS STANDING RIGHT THERE! SHE'S STILL ALIVE!" everyone looking and noticing a man sitting there, the audience member uttering, "I'm not even a woman."

Ninetales blinked and asked, "When did that man get there!?" before looking toward another spot and seeing the woman sitting right there, shouting, "THERE SHE IS!" everyone turning and noticing a mother with her child on her lap sitting there, the woman looking around as the child squealed, "Mommy, she's talking about us!"

"No I'm not!" Ninetales spat before looking around some more, breathing heavily as she started to see Hyun appearing in more and more locations, replacing various different audience members. Had the kitsune gone insane? And furthermore, what was the woman referring to with her previous statements?

Machoke on the other hand did not seem so confused as he said, "I guess you must still really miss your master to see her everywhere?" Ninetales retorting, "SHUT UP!" the boy trembling as she added, "I don't want any sympathy from you!" everyone looking confused as Nori said, "The usually calm and collective Ninetales is now showing a great deal of ferocity, but where is this coming from? And why does she think her dead master is in the audience?"

"IT'S BECAUSE SHE IS, YOU IGNORAMOUS!" Ninetales retorted as the announcer winced, ducking under her desk and whimpering, "Please don't hurt me!" Aipom saying, "But I don't see her anywhere and nor does anyone else," Ninetales growling, "It's because she keeps moving around! She won't stay still long enough for anyone to see her!"

However, while no one saw anyone of the sort, Reika did noticed three people standing among the crowd with a wooden cross, a warrior's outfit hanging from it as Ninetales pointed and spat, "THERE! THERE SHE IS!" Aipom saying, "She's not there either, but that is definitely her old fighting outfit."

The people turned, this time certainly seeing something, but Hyun herself was not there. It was just as Aipom had said. Only her top was there and it was attached to something else.

Nori slowly rose back up and uttered, "Who are these three and what are they doing with Hyun's top?" one of them, a teenaged boy with short brown hair and a muscular build saying, "Like Ninetales here, we were also students on Hyun before her death. I am Chung-Ho," another one, a younger boy with a slim build and messy black hair adding, "My name is Jae, and this here is Hana," the man directing everyone's attention to a small girl with short hair, her eyes wide open as she trembled, Chung-Ho adding, "She's very shy around strangers."

"That's all very interesting, but why are you here and why have you brought your master's old battle outfit?" Weedle asked as everyone else was wondering the same thing, Jae replying, "Every now and then, Hyun communicates to us from the land of the dead. That's how strong are connection is with her. So to answer your second question, she asked us to bring her here in any way possible."

"That is just weird," Machoke uttered as Reika said, "Still, that would explain why Ninetales was seeing her everywhere," Chung-Ho stating, "As for your first question, we have come to expose a horrible secret regarding Ninetales that you all might be interested to know!"

All went silent as everyone stared silently, Ninetales trying to regain her calm nature as she asked, "What are you talking about? You guys are my friends. You know I have nothing to hide," Hana biting her lip, too afraid to say anything as Chung-Ho remarked, "You are NOT our friend, not after the way you killed Master Hyun!"

The entire area went silent as Weedle asked, "Wait, what's this about her killing her master?" Ninetales staring, looking just as shocked as them as Jae stated, "What you have all just heard is true! It has been said for the last five years that our master died in a training accident, and she certainly died during training, but it was no accident!"

While he spoke of this, Ninetales remembered it plain as day. She was ten at the time and had finally met Hyun's expectations.

"Of all the students I have had, you are truly the best," the woman said with a look of uncertainty in her eyes, Ninetales bowing her head and replying, "You are too kind, Master, but why can't you smile?" the woman replying, "It is because I can see that I have made a terrible mistake."

The kitsune's eyes widened as the woman got up, saying, "I could see it in your eyes just now. You've been planning to use my power for evil purposes, haven't you?" Ninetales gritting her teeth as she knew by now that her master could read people's faces.

Leading up to this moment, Ninetales had always had looks of cheer and calmness on her face, never looks of malice. But the very second she had learned the last of Hyun's abilities, a smirk had formed on her face for less than a second. That was more than enough time for Hyun to notice her true intentions.

"What are you going to do about it?" the kitsune asked with a cold look as Hyun sighed, "I made you into the fighter you are today, therefor it only makes sense that I destroy you before you cause harm to mankind!"

With that, a big fight broke out between the two. Hyun pulled out all of her best techniques, but unfortunately for her, Ninetales had learned all of her techniques and knew exactly how to dodge them. Combined with the fact that she had youth on her side, this was not good as soon enough, she had caught the woman with her tails, placing the woman's back against hers.

Hyun's eyes widened as she tried to cry out in pain only for Ninetales to cover her mouth with her top tail saying, "Sorry, Master, but I can't have you alerting the others," before smiling wickedly and adding, "I just thought up a great new name for this technique. I'll call it the Kitsune Backbreaker."

Hyun tried her best to escape. Unfortunately, Ninetales was even stronger than the woman could have ever imagined. As such, the kitsune applied even more pressure to her move, a great deal of pressure that she had not used since she had been accepted on Hero Planet. After a few seconds, Hyun's jaw stayed wide open while her eyes slowly rolled to the back of her head, the kitsune releasing her as she fell flat on her face. There was no doubt about it, her backbone had been snapped in half and as such the woman could no longer move.

However, once the deed had been done, Ninetales replaced her wicked smirk with a look of shock as she spat, "SOMEBODY, HELP! THERE'S BEEN AN ACCIDENT!" the others entering as she spread herself over Hyun, exclaiming, "CALL AN AMBULANCE! SHE NEEDS MEDICAL TREATMENT!" tears welling up in her eyes.

Jae nodded and exclaimed, "On it!" the boy quickly exiting the room a Chung-Ho asked, "Do you want me to watch over her with you?" Ninetales remarking, "No! I want you to get her a mattress to lie on!" the kitsune then turning to Hana and adding, "And you, get her a pillow! She's suffering too much right now!"

Of course, the others had not seen the events leading up to the injury, so there was no way for them to know that she had intended on this. Even so, it seemed they really were onto her as Chung-Ho sighed, "By the time we got medical attention, Hyun was already dead and it's all her fault!"

Ninetales then let out a sigh and replied, "It's true that my actions led to her demise, but I did not mean to do it! I would never kill that wonderful woman who shaped me into the hero I am today! I've carried on her legacy all these years because I knew she would want that!" tears rolling down the kitsune's cheeks as she added, "I was the one who called for help! Why would I do that if I intentionally killed her!?"

All went silent among the crowd as Jae nodded, saying, "She has a good point," Chung-Ho nodding and replying, "Yes. Sorry for accusing you of such things," Ninetales taking a deep breath as Machoke could detect insincerity in her tone, fear coursing through his veins now. Even so, he could not let this get to him.

"Okay, that was a lot to take in," Nori uttered, her eyes wide open as she added, "With all that confusion out of the way, it's time to resume the match."

Ninetales took a deep breath, replying, "Thank you, Miss Nori," Cici biting her lip but saying nothing. She could tell something was up but did not want to throw out any wild accusations. However, it seemed she might need to say something as while Chung-Ho and Jae seemed content now, Hana was trembling with her eyes fixated on the kitsune.

The match resumed with Ninetales taking the defensive as Aipom rubbed her chin, Machoke asking, "Okay, I'm starting to draw a blank now! What should I do!?" the monkey replying, "I'm not sure about any major strategies that might work, but try your best to avoid her tail," the boy lowering his eyelids and sighing, "You're a true source of enlightenment, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry, but this is the best I can think of," Aipom replied, "The most we've seen from Ninetales is her various tail attacks. We've barely seen her fight from the front, so just do the best you can, alright?" Machoke taking a deep breath and replying, "Right, okay."

With that, the boy was about to get his head back in the game when he noticed Ninetales had grown impatient and was racing toward him. The boy simply waited for her to get close enough before thinking of something he had not tried on her yet, the boy sending his foot into her shin. Sure, it was a simple strategy and not a particularly creative one but it still managed to catch Ninetales off-guard as he grabbed hold of her wrist, starting to swing her around.

Aipom beamed and exclaimed, "Machoke, it's obvious Ninetales is no longer afraid of using the stone, so try not to hold back on that either!" the boy still feeling a little bad about relying on it but deciding she was right. Unfortunately, just as he was about to do that, the kitsune simply shifted her hand around before sliding her wrist out of his hold.

Machoke's eyes widened as the kitsune quickly turned around, once again wrapping her tails around him. The Korean fans were going wild as Chung-Ho turned to his cohorts and said, "Well, she is on the side of good. I guess we can be happy she's winning, right?" Jae nodding and replying, "Yeah, it would be wrong not to support our friend, right?" Hana still trembling.

"I'm sorry for using the stone earlier," Ninetales said with a sigh, "I wasn't quite myself, but rest assured, I have no intention of using it again," Machoke not feeling completely reassured by this but at least she was not going to send him into the spikes.

However, just as the kitsune was about to try something else, Hana shook her head, a serious look in her eyes now as Ninetales turned to her, her eyes widening as she once again saw Hyun there only now she had taken Hana's place. The girl stared with intent as the kitsune could hear her exclaiming, "How much longer do you plan on hiding your true self from the world!?"

Everyone stared in shock as Jae asked, "What are you talking about, Hana?" the girl replying, "I've been terrified for these last five years! I know something you guys don't, but I've been too scared to say anything and I guess a part of me didn't want to believe it either, but after you guys left, I saw something horrible!"

All went silent as Ninetales asked, "What are you talking about?" Hana taking a deep breath and saying, "When the others went off to do as you asked, I checked back one more time just to make sure Hyun was okay."

She told of what she witnessed when she did so. When Ninetales figured everyone had left the area, Hyun had mustered up just enough strength to grasp onto her ankle, grunting, "I can't let you go, not with what I know now!" only for the kitsune to fold her arms, remarking, "And what are you going to do to stop me, Master?" a smirk forming on her face as she lifted her foot, stomping on the woman's face to finish her for good.

Ninetales' eyes were wide open as she had nothing to say to this, Hana trembling all the while and uttering, "It still scares me just thinking about it," everyone staring at Ninetales in absolute silence, the Korean fans feeling angered to have someone so horrible representing them.

Scizor was breathing heavily, uttering, "Scyther must be in even more pain right now," and while she said this, her daughter was currently gritting her teeth, wishing she had the strength to move. Not only had she lost the second round but once again, she had lost to a villain posing as a hero.

Hana was still trembling as Jae rested a hand on her shoulder, saying, "You may have been late to say this, but I'm proud of you for doing it," Chung-Ho nodding and replying, "Though next time you witness something like this, don't keep it bottled up for so long. Five years is a long time to hide something so crucial."

Blaziken gritted her teeth and growled, "It's Talonflame all over again," Heracross gritting his teeth while Reika replied, "At least we didn't have to wait until the finals to discover the truth this time."

However, Beedrill turned toward Weedle who nodded at him, the wasp just about to speak up when Machoke cut in, exclaiming, "WAIT!" everyone turning to face him as the boy asked, "Weedle, you keep saying that rule violations can be overlooked if the opponent is okay with them, right?" the caterpillar nodding and replying, "Yes. Where are you going with this?"

Machoke took a deep breath and said, "You should already know, but now that I know Ninetales is evil, I can't just let her walk out of this ring feeling okay!" Beedrill's eyes sparkling with admiration as his father sighed, "I had a feeling you'd say that. I guess it can't be helped. This match will continue until a winner is decided."

Aipom took a deep breath, once again feeling proud of Machoke. He may not have been the most serious fighter all the time, but when it came to justice, he was one of the most focused fighters you would ever meet.


	57. Chapter 57

Things had certainly taken an unexpected turn as Ninetales was revealed to have been evil this whole time. However, while Machoke felt more than ready to continue the match now, Ninetales was still standing there in utter silence, her eyes and mouth wide open. It was as if she herself was unable to believe what she had just heard even though she had certainly performed the act.

Everyone watched as Tsuya groaned, "God, she's creeping me out," Cici nodding and adding, "I think she might be at war with herself right now," Blaziken asking, "Seriously, when did you become so insightful?"

As Ninetales stared at Hana, she once again saw Hyun standing there in her place before letting out a low growl, clenching her fists and her body shook. Machoke stared and asked, "Aipom, should I be taking advantage of this?" the monkey replying, "I don't know. This might be an act."

After a few seconds of staring, the hallucination giving the kitsune a cold stare, Ninetales gritted her teeth and let out a light growl before her look of anger turned into a smirk. She then started to snicker, everyone staring at her as that light snicker grew into heavy laughter, a look of insanity on the kitsune's face as she laughed for a good fifteen seconds.

The laughter soon died down as she took a deep breath, a smile still on her face as she turned to Machoke and said, "Thank you for letting me get away with being a villain in a tournament for heroes. Now I have no reason to hold back," the boy's confidence immediately leaving him as she added, "I guess I should thank you for exposing me," turning her attention to Hana, the girl's eyes wide with shock. Ninetales was thanking her? That was not a good sign.

"I'll admit, when I heard that my parents were evil and that they wanted me to be evil, I wanted to follow in their footsteps!" Ninetales explained, "I claimed to have never shed a tear when I discovered their graves, and that's true, but only because I knew they wouldn't want me to cry!"

Scizor stared in absolute shock as the kitsune added, "Scyther believes I didn't honour or love my parents, but I did. I would have loved to have actually gotten to know them! But even so, I still wanted to fulfil their dream! That's why I waited until my training ended before killing Hyun! I deliberately let my secret slip, knowing she would engage me in battle right then and there and allow me to get her out of the way quickly!"

Chung-Ho and Jae all stared in horror as Ninetales explained, "However, I went into a state of denial, but not right away. I figured my training with Hyun was only a small stepping stone, so with the world believing that I wanted to be a hero, it was only a matter of time until I was accepted into Hero Planet for more training from them. Once I was in, I knew I would be an even more formidable force soon enough!"

Everyone continued to stare as the kitsune stated, "During my time on Hero Planet, I started getting along with the other students. At first I simply pretended to be friendly with them as a means of getting them to trust me but then it started to become legit. I started to believe that I had always intended on being a hero and that I never wanted to be evil in the first place, and since that day, I've been at odds with myself, not knowing whether to show mercy on my opponents or not. Should I hold back or should I kill someone?"

Hana bit her lip as Ninetales turned to her again, smirked and added, "Now that you've reminded me of my initial plan, I no longer have a reason to hold back," Machoke crying out in terror as a small wet spot appeared on the front of his speedo.

With all said and done, Ninetales rushed toward the boy as he held up his hands defensively. However, the kitsune saw this coming and leapt over his head before landing behind him. Once again, Machoke tried running forward only for Ninetales to run backward, keeping up with him while wrapping his tails around him, the boy letting out a terrified cry while trying to flail his arms. There was no doubt about it; she was going to set him up for her backbreaker now.

Aipom bit her lip, still trying to figure out a way for him to escape from the hold without straining himself what with him not having blades to cut himself free. However, Ninetales did not set him up for the move everyone was expecting as she said, "This is my first time fighting for the side of evil since my enrolment. I think I'll try enjoying this while it lasts," the kitsune once again spinning the boy around before shouting, "KITSUNE BOWGUN!" before launching him off of her tail.

To make matters worse, she was not aiming for the turnbuckle this time. As such, Machoke ended up flying hard into the spikes, the boy crying out in pain as Nori exclaimed, "Ninetales is really going all-out now that her secret's been exposed! Not only has Machoke taken in her devastating bowgun technique again but he has once again made contact with the spiked stone!"

Beedrill winced at the sight of this as Weedle thought, 'Dammit, why did I have that thing installed? If I knew Ninetales was evil, I never would have thought of such a horrible gimmick! Even when I'm not chairman I'm still screwing things up!'

Everyone stared in concern as Machoke backed away from the stone, breathing heavily with a look of agony on his face. The boy fell to one knee and tried desperately to remain focused only for Ninetales to trot over to him, turning around and smirking.

"MACHOKE, BEHIND YOU!" Aipom spat as Ninetales spat, "KITSUNE BARRAGE!" forming fists with her tails and sending them rapidly into the boy's back side making sure to hit every spot repeatedly. After delivering forty hits, she proceeded to have the tails swirl around each other and form a spike before shouting, "KITSUNE SPEAR!" ramming the tail spike hard into the boy's back.

This actually caused a small hole to form as the boy coughed up blood. As if that was not bad enough, he was once again sent flying forward into the stone, the boy now spewing blood from his mouth as the holes on his body got bigger. If the spikes were not so small, he would have certainly died from this by now.

"Seeing as you're okay with me violating the 'no villains in the Olympics' rule, I'm sure you'll be content with me breaking the 'no killing' rule as well," Ninetales stated, "Any objections?" Machoke too weak to respond as the blood loss was starting to take its toll, the boy falling backward and collapsing.

"NO!" Aipom screeched, "MACHOKE, GET UP!" the others staring in absolute horror as Nori said, "It seems all those hits from the stone have made Machoke incredibly weak. Is this it?" Beedrill gulping, "We really should disqualify her," Weedle groaning, "I know, but Machoke already sealed his fate! If there's one thing I'll give him credit for, it's that his heart is in the right place!"

"At the very least, I should start the countdown before she actually decides to murder him," Beedrill remarked as Ninetales said, "Oh no, if you two know what's good for you, you won't do a thing," the kitsune grinning wickedly at them, the two trembling.

"This is terrible," Chung-Ho uttered, Jae nodding and sighing, "Maybe we were wrong to expose her secret," Hana shaking her head and saying in a quiet voice, "No. Ninetales would have eventually turned back to the dark side anyway. I think it's better that she's exposed now before she gets even more experience in combat."

Unfortunately, it was still looking bad as Ninetales looked down at Machoke's unconscious body asking, "Now how should I kill you? Should I snap your back in two? Maybe I can slam your head hard into the floor outside the ring," the audience trembling as she smirked, adding, "Or I could kill you with something no one has seen before."

Gallade gritted his teeth before barking, "MACHOKE, GET UP!" Hitmonchan getting up from her seat and adding, "YEAH! YOU'RE MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!" Golduck exclaiming, "YEAH, SHOW THAT FURBALL WHO'S BOSS!"

All the while, Ninetales had climbed to the top of the turnbuckle with a big smile on her face, the kitsune stating, "You're wasting your breath. He's never going to get up," Reika shouting, "NO! IF THERE'S ONE THING I KNOW ABOUT MACHOKE, IT'S THAT HE NEVER GIVES UP!"

Tsuya nodded and added, "Machoke may be weird at times, but he's also really cool! He's one of the greatest heroes I've ever met!" Cici nodding and squeaking, "He may not always have his head in the game, but when push comes to shove, he always pulls through!" Blaziken nodding and adding, "He acts scared at times, but he shows true heroism when the time is right."

Aipom's eyes sparkled as one member of the Japanese fanbase pumped his fist up and down saying, "Machoke. Machoke," another joining in and chanting, "Machoke! Machoke!" more and more joining in until all of the Japanese fans were cheering for him. Various other members of the crowd joined in as the area was erupting with cheers for the boy.

Ninetales simply ignored this while spiralling her tails around to form a spike once again. However, her ears twitched and her eyes widened when she heard something shocking. She looked around before noticing her fears were true. The Korean fans were now chanting Machoke's name, hoping he would get up and defeat Ninetales.

As if that was not enough, even the kitsune's former training partners were cheering for him, Hana using the loudest voice she could muster. Even Scizor was chanting his name as Heracross exclaimed, "COME ON, MACHOKE, STOP LYING THERE ALREADY!"

What shocked Ninetales the most thought was that this was actually getting to her. But why? She was evil. If anything, it was only natural that her fans would have lost respect for her by now, so why was she feeling so upset by this?

She simply shook her head and thought, 'You've chosen your path in life! Now take that one step toward glory!' the kitsune leaping high into the air and lifting up her legs, holding them in place with her arms while aiming her tails toward Machoke.

Everyone continued to chant Machoke's name was Ninetales spun around shouting, "KITSUNE DRILL!" now descending toward the boy. However, just as she was about to make contact, Machoke's eyes widened as he rolled to the side, Ninetales landing hard against the canvas and managing to put a big hole in it.

Aipom took a deep breath and fell on her rear end, letting out more breaths just imagining what would have happened if Machoke had been hit by that instead of the mat. All the while, everyone was cheering wildly, Nori exclaiming, "YEAH, YOU GO, MACHOKE! I KNEW IT WASN'T OVER YET!" before clasping her hand against her mouth, knowing it was her job to be neutral.

But it seemed her fears were pointless as Weedle was jumping up and down in his seat with excitement, exclaiming, "YES! YES! HE'S UP! HE'S ACTUALLY UP!" Beedrill staring at the caterpillar as he cleared his throat, resuming his usual composure and saying, "Thank goodness."

However, while Machoke was standing, he was still feeling weak, the boy breathing heavily as he fell to his knees. Everyone stared silently, hoping he would be okay when the boy suddenly felt weight on his shoulders. The boy turned his head, his eyes going wide as he saw Scyther standing right behind him, but how? She was still in the hospital.

The insect smiled and said, "Come on, Machoke. You've gotten up from worse," the boy sighing, "I don't know. After losing so much blood..." Scyther rubbing his shoulders and remarking, "I know you can do it. Let's take this demon out together," the insect standing tall and holding her hand out, Machoke lifting up his hand to take hers as she pulled him back up to his feet.

Many stared in confusion at this, Aipom asking, "Why does he have his hand up like that?" Ninetales' eyes widening as he pointed, shouting, "HEY, BEEDRILL, HE'S BREAKING THE RULES! HE'S GETTING OUTSIDE HELP!" the wasp blinking and replying, "Sorry, Ninetales, but I don't see anyone else in the ring," the kitsune's eyes widening as Blaziken asked, "Any idea what she's talking about?"

"I do see someone else in the ring," Reika replied as the others stared at her, Gallade asking, "Are you sure about that? I don't see anyone besides Machoke and Ninetales," the girl giving a warm smile and replying, "Scyther's in there helping him out," the others shrugging and not even questioning this.

Scizor understood entirely, though, as she nodded and thought, 'Scyther's scent her spirit into the ring. This might be for the best. In his condition, I'm not sure Machoke could defeat Ninetales by himself.'

Ninetales simply fumed and tried charging at Machoke, her eyes going wide as she noticed her tails were stuck in the canvas. The kitsune gritted her teeth, grumbling, "Dammit! What was I thinking!?" Heracross laughing and shouting, "NOT SO CALM NOW, ARE YOU LASSIE!?"

Machoke and Scyther's spirit turned to one-another and nodded before rushing toward Ninetales, both sending a two-legged flying kick into her face. While technically only Machoke was doing it, it seemed as if Scyther was adding to the force as the move ended up dealing twice as much pain as it normally would have, the crowd going wild as Ninetales groaned in pain.

After that, Machoke ran behind Ninetales reached his arms around her with Scyther's spirit standing in front of her and doing the same, both prying her tails out of the mat. However, this seemed like a bad move as Ninetales smirked, getting ready to wrap her tails around him only for her eyes to widen again when she found herself unable to spread them out, and this was due to Scyther's spirit wrapping her arms around them and holding them in place.

The crowd went wild as Machoke lifted Ninetales high above his head, letting out a loud battle cry and leaning backward, planting her head hard into the mat with a brainbuster. Ninetales winced in pain before clutching onto her head and rolling around, Machoke flashing a toothy grin at Scyther who gave him thumbs up.

"Think you can handle the rest on your own?" she asked as Machoke nodded, replying, "Thanks, buddy," the insect vanishing as Nori said, "I have no idea what just happened, but Machoke has finally gotten the advantage back."

Unfortunately, Ninetales had managed to recover quickly from the head blow as she slowly rose to her feet, taking deep breaths and saying, "You should have kept her around. Those two hits were like paper cuts compared to what I'm gonna do you to you!"

Machoke winced briefly but shook his head and sported a more serious look, sighing, "You don't scare me anymore, Ninetales! You may seem tough, but all I see when I look at your is a scared and lost child with no idea what to do with her life!" the kitsune gritting her teeth and retorting, "What was that!?" Machoke remarking, "Think about it! The only reason you decided to become evil was because your parents wanted it! Are you honestly telling me all that time spent with Hyun and the others was pointless!?"

"Yeah, he's got a point," Chung-Ho remarked, "We were best friends growing up! Did that mean nothing to you!?" Jae adding, "Yeah, we always looked out for each-other! No matter what happened, we were always there for one-another!" Hana nodding as Ninetales' eyes widened, the kitsune now standing still with no idea what to say to all of that.

"You see that?" Machoke asked, "They still remember all the good times you had and those moments mean a lot to them. Are you really going to throw that all away just because of some twisted plans your parents had for you?"

Ninetales' body started to twitch as a grin forced its way onto the kitsune's face. Her eyes were wide open as she clutched onto her head, breathing heavily with the grin still on her face. No one knew what to make of this but unfortunately, it seemed Machoke and the others' words had not meant much as Ninetales turned to him with a smirk, saying, "My plan to serve evil and that's what I intend to do and no one is going to stand in my way!"

With that in mind, the kitsune gritted her teeth and clenches her fists, everyone staring in shock as blue fire surrounded her. Suddenly, her tails started to get longer until they were twice their original length, Machoke staring in shock as his jaw dropped, his confidence starting to leave him. As if the tails were not bad enough before, now they were long enough to reach in front of Ninetales' body.

"Can someone explain to me what just happened?" Nori asked as Ninetales swished the tails in front of her with a devious smile, saying, "I didn't know I could do this," Aipom saying, "Don't be intimidated, Machoke. You can still win this," the boy nodding and holding up a defensive stance as the kitsune charged toward him.

The boy braced himself for an attack only for Ninetales to screech to a halt, the boy unable to react in time as she had her tails go in front of her and latch onto the boy. However, due to the fact that only a third of each tail was able to reach him, she would not be able to use her abilities to their full effect. As such, she used this chance to grab hold of him with her paws and lift him up, moving him toward her back so now her tails were fully securing him in place.

The crowd was getting restless now as Ninetales laughed, shouting, "I LOVE THIS!" before applying pressure to Machoke's back and belting, "KITSUNE BACKBREAKER!" the boy crying out in pain. Due to the added length of the tails, the pressure being applied was even greater than usual, so this was the worst pain any opponents had ever dealt with from this move since Ninetales had applied extra force when using it on Hyun.

Aipom was in full panic now. She still had no clue how Machoke could get out of this without expelling too much energy. And to make matters worse, he was fighting alone now, meaning Scyther could no longer help him.

"Hey, where's your guardian angel?" Ninetales asked tauntingly, "Oh, that's right, she's not here!" Reika gulping hard, not sure how to feel right now. It really did seem hopeless now as people could hear Machoke's back starting to crack, the boy crying even louder now.

Beedrill was trembling as he uttered, "Dad, I'm scared," Weedle nodding and replying, "Me too, son," while Nori uttered, "And thanks to Ninetales' sudden tail growth, it seems Machoke is in a horrible spot with no way of escaping. This could very well be it, folks."

During this time, Psyla had been very busy training Gardevoir, the girl currently sending a series of palm punches into a rock as the wolf smiled, saying, "You're getting there," noticing small cracks forming as Gardevoir squeaked, "Wow! I never thought I'd be able to pull off something like that!"

However, her joy turned to uncertainty as Psyla asked, "What's wrong?" the girl whimpering, "I feel like Machoke really needs my support right now," the wolf blinking and sighing, "Well, it's too late to head to the arena right now, but there is something I can do to help. We'll have to put off training for a while, though."

"I'm okay with that," Gardevoir replied, bowing her head as Psyla smiled and said, "Alright, get into a meditative position," the girl nodding and sitting on the grass, folding her legs and closing her eyes. Psyla proceeded to close hers as well as she placed her pointing and middle fingers against the girl's forehead, Gardevoir's eyes shooting open, now bright purple.

Meanwhile, Machoke was still suffering as Ninetales laughed, saying, "Well, this has been fun, but I think I'll finish this right now," the boy looking at his friends in the crowd and uttering, "Sorry, guys. I failed," his eyes widening once more when he noticed Gardevoir sitting right next to Gallade, the girl gasping and getting up, belting, "MACHOKE!"

Ninetales' eyes widened as she gritted her teeth, growling, "Another one!?" Gallade turning next to him and asking, "When did you get here, Gardevoir?" Hitmonchan asking, "Who are you talking to?" Gallade blinking and groaning, "Man, this is really confusing."

Machoke then let out a sigh and groaned, "Sorry, Gardevoir, you could have come at a better time," the girl taking a deep breath and squealing, "Don't give up, Machoke! You've been in horrible spots like this countless times and always managed to get out of them! I may not know everything that's happened during this match, but I know you can get out of this hold!"

"But look at this," Machoke uttered, "Her tails are longer thus making them tougher to get out of, and Lopunny almost expelled all of her energy when she escaped from this hold. What can I do?" Gardevoir retorting, "Machoke, you're the strongest and most creative person I know! If anyone can find a way out of this, it's you!"

Machoke gritted his teeth, grunting, "You're right! I can't just let myself lose, not after all of this!" Ninetales smirking and remarking, "Too late!" applying even more pressure. However, the crowd was shocked when Machoke acted as if he was taking in pain to his back whatsoever, Aipom's eyes widening as she thought, 'Could it be?'

Machoke took a deep breath and smirked, saying, "Funny thing to note about my family, Ninetales," the kitsune narrowing her eyelids and asking, "What?" the boy replying, "It's been a known fact that we can expand our muscles every now and then. It takes a lot of energy, so we don't do it often. Right now, I'm putting all my might into my back so your precious backbreaker can't hurt me anymore."

The crowd went wild as the boy added, "Also, I know how to get out of this hold. It's the second technique I ever used in a fight and it helped me greatly," Beedrill asking, "He's not referring to that move, is he?" Weedle giving his son a strange look as Machoke proceeded to plant his feet against the mat and leap backward toward the turnbuckle, slamming Ninetales' face hard into it as she winced, gritting her teeth and tightening her grip, shouting, "NO! I WON'T LET YOU WIN!"

"She's persistent," Reika uttered as Blaziken spat, "That was a good try, Machoke! Keep it up!" Ninetales exclaiming, "You won't get that chance! If I can't break your back, I'll just take you out the same way I took down Lopunny and Scyther!"

The crowd gasped, knowing exactly what was coming as the kitsune proceeded to leap high into the air, using her tails to flip Machoke upside-down so his head was facing the mat. All went silent as Ninetales had his skull pointed directed at the top of the stone. There was no doubt that this move would kill him as she laughed hysterically before saying, "I have to thank you, Weedle. This spiked stone of yours was your greatest idea yet. I've really enjoyed using it to pick apart this moron, but now my fun must come to an end with this one last use."

"She's not really going to kill him, is she?" Weedle asked as Beedrill sighed, "Honestly, I don't even think she cares if we disqualify her from the finals. She just seems intent on ending Machoke's life no matter what."

Everyone else stared in silence, tears welling up in their eyes as Gardevoir's spirit squeaked, "MACHOKE, I KNOW YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS!" the boy taking a deep breath and thinking, 'No, there is a way out of this that doesn't involve me using too much energy,' the boy smirking before managing just enough strength to move his head forward before reeling it back, sending it hard into the kitsune's shin.

Ninetales' eyes widened as this actually caused just enough pain for her to loosen her hold on him. After all, his skull was thick and her shins were skinny so it made sense, the boy freeing himself grabbing onto her ankles with his arms and using his feet to lock her arms in place.

Ninetales growled and spat, "YOU THINK THAT'S GONNA HELP YOU!" the kitsune immediately wrapping her tails around him again as the boy smirked, saying, "Actually, yes!" before applying just enough strength to start spinning the kitsune around like a wheel while shouting, "INCOMPLETE SUNSET SLAM!"

The area went quiet as the two descended toward the stone, Machoke ramming Ninetales' belly hard into the stone, her eyes going wide as she coughed up blood. As if that was not enough, the force of the move had actually caused the stone to crack a little bit as Machoke proceeded to free himself from her tails once more, placing a firm grip against the back of her head and ramming her face into the stone.

This caused a series of cracks to move along the stone before covering it, the structure starting to crumble as Machoke grabbed hold of one of the kitsune's tails and leapt off of the stone just in time to avoid having her take in more pain from the spikes. After all, he already knew he had done enough damage to end the match, the boy taking a deep breath and setting her down, the kitsune lying there.

Beedrill wasted no time starting the ten count as Aipom bit her lower lip, a smile crossing her lips as light tears rolled down her eyes. Reika simply took a deep breath, sighing, "Leave it to Machoke to worry us every now and then," Gardevoir breathing a sigh of relief and vanishing while Machoke thought, 'Thank you, Gardevoir. You're a real pal.'

Soon enough, Beedrill counted to ten as he rang the bell, exclaiming, "And the hero advancing to the finals is Machoke!" the crowd breaking out into heavy cheering, heavier than ever before. Machoke fell to his knees, a light smile on his face as Aipom leapt into the ring, once again hugging his face and squealing, "OH MY GOD, YOU MAKE ME SO PROUD TO BE YOUR TRAINER!" the boy rolling his eyes and saying nothing in response to this.

Chung-Ho and Jae both breathed sighs of relief while Hana simply looked down, uttering, "I hope that taught her a lesson," Heracross exclaiming, "YEAH, WAY TO GO, LAD!" Golduck shouting, "YOU'RE THE MAN, MACHOKE!"

Reika simply took a deep breath, thinking, 'I bet Scyther is really happy now,' Scizor folding her arms and thinking the same thing before heading out of the arena, thinking, 'I don't think I have any reason to stick around anymore.'

In the hospital, Scyther was finally resting soundly against, a light smile on her face. All the while, Lopunny was wide awake with one a couple of hours left before she could finally leave the hospital as she squealed, "I KNEW IT! I KNEW HE'D WIN!" a nurse poking her head into the room, saying, "I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it down," Lopunny uttering, "Sorry."

Soon enough, the cheering died down as Weedle took a deep breath, making his way out of his seat and crawling onto the ring before saying, "Machoke, once again, I have to thank you," the boy blinking as he added, "You have stopped another villain from ruining a tournament. I have to admit, I've been a fool for looking down on you for so long. Everything I've done was my attempt at making sure you lost," the boy sighing, "Well, at least you're admitting it now."

Beedrill blinked, asking, "Is this true?" Machoke's friends barking, "YOU MEAN IT WASN'T OBVIOUS!?" as Weedle nodded and sighed, "I've done a lot of stupid things as chairman, and this was another major blunder. I think retiring was the right choice. At least my son didn't think up something like a stone covered in spikes," the caterpillar bowing his head and saying, "So yes, laugh it up if you'd like, but I apologize for all the shit I've put you through over the past."

Machoke grinned childishly and replied, "Well, since you gave me permission," the boy pointing at him and breaking out into hysterics only to stop when he heard a fragment of the stone shift to the side, Machoke slowly turning when he noticed Ninetales breathing heavily while using her arms to push more pieces away from her.

However, she was still down with no intention of getting back up as Machoke trembled, unsure of whether or not to walk over before noticing tears running down the kitsune's cheeks. Everyone else stared as she slowly turned her head toward her former training partners.

All three stared at her in silence, Hana looking calm while the others looked more defensive, Ninetales crying out, "I'M SORRY! ALL THOSE YEARS SPENT TRAINING WITH YOU MEANT A LOT TO ME! I SHOULDN'T HAVE THROWN AWAY OUR FRIENDSHIP LIKE THAT! I HOPE THAT MAYBE SOMEDAY, YOU CAN ALL FORGIVE ME AND TAKE ME BACK AS YOUR ALLY!"

That statement was more than enough to expel whatever energy the kitsune had left as she closed her eyes, all going silent as Machoke uttered, "Um, would I be disqualified if she died after my victory was announced?" Weedle sighing, "No, but that hardly matters because she's not dead," everyone noticing her belly rising and falling every few seconds while light breathing was coming from her. The kitsune was now taking a nap as medics were called in to help her onto a stretcher.

"Remember, once she's healed, she's going straight to prison," Weedle said before turning to Beedrill and adding, "Unless you think she deserves a second chance," Beedrill replying, "Well, she does seem to have learned her lesson, but you're right. She still has to serve time for the death of Hyun."

All the while, Chung-Ho simply let down light tears, sniffing, "It's nice to know she's at least turned over a new leaf," Jae adding, "Yeah, I was worried we'd lost her forever," Hana smiling lightly and saying nothing. The trio would have a difficult time getting over how she killed their master, but they were happy to know she had learned her lesson.

And with Machoke's match coming to a close, there was only one left to decide who would face off in the finals. Would the boy face Garchomp or Lucario?


	58. Chapter 58

Machoke's match had ended and once again, things had taken a turn for the better. Another villain had been defeated and even learned her lesson. And on that note, Machoke was going to be representing Japan and his family in the finals.

Once Gardevoir returned to a conscious state, a big smile crossed her face as she was finally able to devote full concentration to her training. Psyla had her resume her palm punches for the time being as she felt it was too soon to move onward.

However, the peace would not be lasting a long time as everyone knew Garchomp and Lucario still had their match to finish. As such, Machoke exited the ring while the stone fragments were being cleared out by the staff. For whatever reason, Beedrill had decided to have both matches take place in this one location as opposed to separating the two. But of course they would need a little time to prepare, especially with there being a hole in the mat.

Machoke simply took a seat next to the others and let out a deep sigh as Reika patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You were great out there," Machoke grinning and asking, "Good enough for a kiss?" the girl rolling her eyes as Cici pursed her lips, knowing it was not her place to speak the truth right now.

At this very moment, Garchomp and Lucario had gotten up from their seats, the two headed off to prepare for their match. Both shot each other a serious glance before carrying on, Amanda all the while looking at her brother with uncertainty. She wanted to support him and cheer him on, but after how vicious he was during his match against Metang, she was at odds with her feelings right now.

Clauncher on the other hand was more than excited for the match and, like before, was sitting among the British fans despite being American. After all, she saw no reason to separate those of other nationalities from the British fanbase if she was routing for the same fighter.

"I hope you're all excited for the match that's about to take place!" Beedrill exclaimed, "This is it, folks, the one that will decide who will face off in the finals! I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it!" Machoke turning to his friends and saying, "You know, I'm starting to forget what his old personality was like. I've gotten used to this one."

"Now, like before, there will be a gimmick for this one," Beedrill added, "though this was one of my choosing. I feel it'll really help spice things up between these two warriors," the audience getting more and more excited every second. It always seemed as if Lucario's matches were the ones with the most hype despite so far having all been the shortest.

"Now, while we are having this match soon, we will be taking a ten-minute recess," the wasp explained, "So if anyone needs to go to the bathroom or what-have-you, now's the time to do it," the others turning to Machoke as he shrugged and replied, "No, I'm good. I went not too long ago," Aipom looking down at his speedo and sighing, "You're coming with me," the monkey getting up and pulling on the side of his clothing as he sighed, "Okay, okay, no need to use force," rising from his seat and joining her.

During this time, Lucario was using his ten minutes to get in some last minute training before taking a deep breath. He was certain he could win without relying on underhanded tactics this time. After all, he did not want to upset Amanda and make her think he was switching back to the dark side.

The dog noticed a mirror and looked into it before asking, "So, Dad, how am I doing? Am I finally worthy of the family name?"

Once the ten minutes were up, Beedrill exclaimed, "Alright, everyone, it's finally time for the match to decide the second finalist! It's been a long and intense ride, but it's certainly been fun and exciting!" the crowd cheering in agreement as the wasp added, "Nori, you ready to introduce the fighters?"

The woman nodded and exclaimed, "In the red corner, fighting for Russia is a fearsome dragon with incredible strength! She has amazed and wowed audiences by shattering a hard suit of armour and overpowering Gardevoir! I am of course talking about Garchomp!" the Russian fans going wild as the dragon sprinted toward the ring, propelling herself high into the air before landing firmly against the canvas.

Nori then proceeded to state, "And in the blue corner, England's representative is a true force to be reckoned with! He's plowed his way through the first two rounds, so far having defeated his opponents more quickly than everyone else! The son of and, in my humble opinion, a worthy successor of Riolu, Lucario!" the British fans breaking out into heavy cheering as the dog performed a series of flips toward the ring, propelling himself high into the air and spinning vertically before landing gracefully, his arms spread out and one of his knees touching the mat.

Amanda had to admit that was his best entrance yet as she exclaimed, "YOU GO, BROTHER!" Lucario giving her thumbs up as Clauncher waved her arms around shouting, "YOU ARE AWESOME!"

Aipom stared at the two fighters and said, "Now, Machoke, you'd better pay attention. You'll be facing the winner of this match," the boy rolling his eyes and remarking, "Yeah, yeah, I know," the boy actually much more focused than he seemed. After all, both these fighters scared him immensely and he needed to learn their techniques so he would be ready for either one.

But just as the match was about to begin, Beedrill stated, "Before we start, we need to introduce the gimmick for this match," the wasp then pressing a red button in front of him as suddenly, the ring rose up on a pole, soon two stories above the floor.

The crowd stared in silence as Beedrill explained, "This is what I like to call a skyscraper match! The only way out of the ring during this match is to fall off the edge, and since neither fighter can possibly return to the ring, whoever touches the floor first will lose by ring-out!"

"Is he sure Weedle didn't come up with this?" Machoke asked with a disturbed look on his face as Aipom replied, "To be fair, this isn't nearly as bad as the stone."

Garchomp and Lucario, on the other hand, did not look in the least bit intimidated by this. In fact, both saw it as a good test of their abilities, so they had no complaints whatsoever. And Machoke had no reason to complain either as he was done fighting in that ring.

Amanda on the other hand was worried as Clauncher patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry. If I know your bro, he'll be okay," the girl nodding and replying, "Yeah, he should be fine."

With that, the bell was finally rung as Lucario wasted no time sprinting toward Garchomp. The dragon's eyes widening as the dog immediately started sending an onslaught of karate chops and kicks into her gut, the dragon swinging her arm at his head only for the dog to duck under it. After that, he proceeded to ram his head into the very spot he had been hitting so far while the British fans went wild, Garchomp backing up with a look of annoyance on her face.

"I have to admit, I was not prepared for that," the dragon said as Lucario replied, "Sorry for not giving you time, but after seeing how strong you are, I have no intention of letting myself get hit by you so easily," Garchomp smirking and replying, "Smart lad."

Amanda took a deep breath and said, "At least he's not going too far this time," Clauncher exclaiming, "Yeah! Way to go, Lucario! Keep it up!"

"Things are already off to a great start for Lucario," Nori stated, "In no time flat, he has already managed to hit Garchomp multiple times. Will this match end quickly or does Garchomp have a way to make up for this early disadvantage?"

The dragon took a deep breath as Lucario was ready for more only for Garchomp to rush at him with her arms held back. She sent them forward in an X formation when she got close only for Lucario to lean backward, dodging both and sending a hard kick to the dragon's chin. Garchomp's eyes widened as she found herself unable to respond to what Lucario did next, the dog using his hands to propel himself off the mat and hard into Garchomp's chest.

The area went silent as the dragon was sent careening over the ropes, everyone simply astounded by the fact that Lucario was even able to pull that off against someone so big and strong. And his aura had not even appeared, so clearly his training was having more of an effect on him than one could have ever imagined.

However, Lucario was actually shocked that it had worked out as well as it did, not even considering himself strong enough to pull something like that off. Even so, the British fans were going wild, save for Amanda and Clauncher who both, like Lucario, found this to be way too easy especially with how strong Garchomp had proven herself to be up to this point.

Even so, Lucario quickly replaced his surprised look with a confident smile, folding his arms and saying, "Well, it's a shame to end this match so quickly, but a win's a win," Nori's eyes widening as she exclaimed, "Hold it, folks, this match isn't over yet!"

The dog's eyes widened as everyone else noticed Garchomp soaring up behind Lucario, Amanda barking, "LUCARIO, SHE'S BEHIND YOU!" only for the dog to have no time to respond as Garchomp rammed her skull hard into his back, the dog yowling in pain before careening into the ropes and bouncing off of them. As he flew back toward the dragon, the proceeded to latch her arms onto his shoulders before lifting him up and turning him ninety degrees, slamming the back of his head hard into the mat.

Everyone stared in absolute shock, even the Russian fans. Sure, they were thrilled to witness such a comeback, but even they had no idea what was going on.

Machoke's eyes widened as he spat, "OH GOD, SHE JUST GOT SCARIER AGAIN!" Reika sighing, "How many more times are you going to react like that?" Blaziken shrugging and replying, "You gotta admit, this is surprising."

"And in a shocking display, Garchomp actually managed to fly back into the ring," Nori stated, "But no one has ever seen her fly before. What could this mean?"

"I figured now would be the perfect time to reveal this when I saw the ring being risen up," Garchomp stated with a smirk, "Yes, the truth is, I've always been able to fly! I'm the only member of my family who can, and it's all thanks to these babies," the dragon spreading out her arms to bring attention to her wrist fins, adding, "These fins also double as wings. Though so far, only my dad and I have them."

"That's true," Weedle stated, "I can't believe I hadn't thought about it," Beedrill turning to him as the caterpillar added, "Garchomp's father, Gabite, had a set of wings just like that. His father, Gible, did not have them but was married to a falcon named Valkyria. I guess it only makes sense that Garchomp's family now possesses bird DNA."

"So you've been keeping them a secret this whole time and preserving it for just the right moment," Lucario stated, "I'm flattered that you consider me more worth it than a villain," Garchomp smirking and replying, "Yeah, I know, it's weird I wouldn't use it in any other case, but it worked on you, didn't it? Also, you didn't really send me flying out of the ring with that weak kick of yours. I simply propelled myself out of the ring to make you think you'd finished me off."

The dog's eyes widened as everyone stared, Machoke saying, "So she faked it," Aipom replying, "When you think about it, that actually does make sense."

Even so, Lucario now knew Garchomp's secret and was going to at least try to take advantage of this, the dog immediately sending a palm punch toward her only for the dragon to block it with one of her wrist fins. Afterwards, she proceeded to send a knee kick into his gut before shouting, "DRAGON CLAW!" sending one of her claws forward as Lucario quickly swerved to the right only to end up taking a small strike to his shoulder, the dog wincing while a bit of blood came out.

The Russian fans were going wild as Lucario growled, Amanda shouting, "Lucario, calm down and think! I know you can find a way around this!" the dog nodding and thinking, 'She's right. I just need to look for an opening and exploit that.'

After Garchomp sent more strikes toward Lucario, the dog dodging each one, he noticed that her midsection was completely unprotected. As such, he immediately sent his palm toward her belly and spat, "FORCE PALM!" hitting it hard as the dragon winced in pain.

However, like when Gardevoir hit her with her Moon Hook, she acted as if the pain meant nothing before latching onto Lucario's arm. The dog's eyes widened as she proceeded to fling him hard into the turnbuckle, the Russian fans going wild as Clauncher and Amanda winced.

"So, where's all that strength from your last two matches?" Garchomp asked tauntingly, "You seem to have lost quite a bit of muscle considering your precious Force Palm barely did a thing to me!" Lucario growling, not even sure how to answer that. Even he was not fully aware of the aura that had given him the strength to lift someone as heavy as Metang up.

Aipom winced and uttered, "Poor Lucario. He doesn't seem to stand a chance anymore," when suddenly, a can flew into the back of the monkey's head, Aipom turning toward the source to notice a member of the British crowd had thrown it.

"Shut up, you ugly monkey!" the person, a man to be exact, exclaimed as a woman joined in, shouting, "Lucario is an amazing fighter! How dare you even imply that he would lose!" Aipom whimpering, "But haven't you been paying attention?" a boy stating, "The only reason you're saying such an awful thing is because you were Garchomp's partner in the three-legged race!"

"Hey, she was forced into that against her will!" Blaziken snapped, "Don't get after her for that!" another girl among the British crowd retorting, "If that's the case, she wouldn't be taking sides!" Machoke asking, "Wait, when was she taking sides? All I heard was hard, cold facts coming from her mouth as usual," another British fan hurling a can into the back of his head, the boy getting up and fuming while barking, "ALRIGHT, WHO THREW THAT!?"

Gallade and Hitmonchan both forced him to sit back down as Gallade said, "Easy does it. You just finished a really intense match, remember?" the boy nodding and scowling before folding his arms and grumbling curses.

Unfortunately, Aipom's words seemed very true as Garchomp proceeded to send her wrist fins into Lucario's neck, the dog coughing up a bit of blood before taking another knee kick to the gut. With that, the dragon proceeded to lift him up by the arm before hurling him over her shoulder, sending him flying over the ropes.

All went silent as Nori said, "Garchomp has just sent Lucario flying over the edge. It seems this match is truly over now," only for one of the British fans to shout, "Wait, look!"

The crowd was truly amazed to see Lucario had not fallen as the lower rope was stretched downward. It seemed this was a result of the dog's ankle being attached to it thus preventing him from continuing his descent, Amanda breathing a sigh of relief.

"Well, it would have been disappointing to end this so early, I guess," Garchomp said before walking over to the rope and adding, "Still, I don't want to let my country down."

But just as she got close, Lucario sported a more serious look and used the rope like a sling to send him back upward, both of his feet running hard into Garchomp's chin. The dragon's eyes went wide as she backed up a bit, rubbing that very spot as Lucario proceeded to land on her head, this time having his heels hit her. This seemed to be effective enough to at least slow the dragon down as Lucario leapt off of her head and landed firmly against the mat, taking a few deep breaths.

The British fans went wild as Nori stated, "And just as it looked like Lucario was going to lose, he got the advantage with an amazing comeback! But with all that's happened so far, will this be enough!?"

The dragon turned toward Lucario with a smirk, saying, "Well, you certainly have a strong spirit, I'll give you that. But persistence can only get you so far," Garchomp then spreading out her arms and taking to the air, Lucario looking annoyed now.

"I didn't want to have to rely on this to defeat you, but I'm willing to do anything to win," Garchomp said with a smirk, "and personally, I'd rather not risk taking in another hit like that!"

With that, the dragon flew around the area, Lucario trying to follow her movements until she soared under the ring. The dog's eyes widened as Amanda was about to point out where Garchomp was going to rise from. Unfortunately, every time the dragon was about to rise up, she would lower herself and resume flying knowing that if Amanda could figure out her strategy, she could easily warn her brother in time.

"What's she doing?" Machoke asked, "It's like she's afraid to come up," Aipom shaking her head and replying, "No, there's more to this and Lucario's going to need to be more alert," the monkey bracing herself only to notice the British fans seemed to be done judging her for the time being.

After a few more seconds of flying, Garchomp finally rose up only now her body was covered in a bright orange flame, the Russian fans going wild, knowing exactly what was going on. With that, Garchomp charged at Lucario as Amanda was just about to warn the dog. Unfortunately for her, the dragon was moving far too quickly as she rammed her head hard into the dog's back shouting, "DRAGON RAGE!"

The dog coughed up more blood as he soon found himself pressed up against the ropes. After a few seconds, the material on the ropes started to come open as the wire was now exposed and splitting apart as well. Everyone stared as it seemed like this might be it, the rope snapping in half as the dog was sent over the edge, looking too weak to do anything right now.

The Russian fans were once again cheering heavily while everyone else stared in absolute horror. Amanda closed her eyes, not wanting to watch the rest while Clauncher had her claws over her mouth, her eyes wide open. Even Machoke and his friends could not believe what they had just witnessed.

However, all went silent when Nori said, "And once again, Lucario had miraculously saved himself!" Garchomp's eyes widening as she slowly looked down, noticing one of the dog's wrist spikes piercing the side of the ring while he hung there. Whether it was luck or resilience, Lucario had once again avoided a ring-out.

Though currently, he seemed to be barely breathing as even the act of keeping his arm up right now had taken quite a bit out of him. Garchomp simply smirked and said, "You know what? I think I'll just let you hang there. After taking in my most devastating technique, you'll be letting go soon enough."

Nori blinked and uttered, "I have no idea what to do right now. The rule was that a ring-out loss would only happen if either fighter made contact with the floor. But on the other hand, Garchomp is doing nothing to speed up Lucario's fall and with his spike deep inside the ring like that, I'm not sure he'll be falling any time soon," Beedrill shrugging and replying, "Well, you know the rules. I'd love to start a twenty count but that would go against my policy for this match."

Amanda simply gritted her teeth, hoping her brother would find the strength to return to the ring just like the last time he had been sent over the side. The others were simply staring in silence, wondering if Garchomp letting him be was reasonable or if it was the biggest mistake she could have made.

However, it seemed to be a mistake as a light blue aura surrounded Lucario briefly, the dog's eyes opening as he had a look of fury on his face. While Garchomp had her back turned, the dragon confident that she had guaranteed victory, the dog immediately lifted up his other arm and dug that one's spike into the side of the ring, using his wrists like ice picks on a mountainside.

The British fans started to cheer as Amanda smiled briefly, though seeing the aura did alarm her to a certain degree. Even so, she hoped she had just imagined that as Clauncher clapped happily, exclaiming, "YEAH, SHOW HER WHO'S BOSS, DUDE!"

Garchomp had a look of confusion on her face as she uttered, "What's everyone...?" before turning around noticing two blue paws hanging on the side of the ring, Lucario slowly but surely climbing back onto the canvas as the dragon stared wide-eyed, her jaw dropped. He looked so weak before and yet quite a bit of his strength had returned. Where had this sudden recovery come from?

Whatever the case, the dragon refused to let this distract her as she took to the air again, charging at the dog. However, Lucario saw this coming as he dodged to the side, sending a roundhouse into the dragon's cheek. This seemed stronger than the kicks he had used earlier as Garchomp was sent flying sideways, her cheek hitting the turnbuckle.

The British fans were even happier as the aura got darker, Lucario breathing heavily with a look of fury in his eyes, the dog exclaiming, "You've had your moment, now it's time I had mine!"


	59. Chapter 59

While the British fans were thrilled to see Lucario make such an amazing comeback, Amanda was not so sure of this right now. The aura had once again appeared and every time this happened, it was not a good sign. At least that was how Amanda saw it, anyway.

As Garchomp tried to ignore the pain to her cheek, Lucario proceeded to leap onto her back, grabbing hold of her back fin and saying, "You know, this fin is rather inconvenient. I already knew before this match started that I could not use my London Bridge on you thanks to this thing. But I'm feeling a lot stronger now, so perhaps I can at least use it to my advantage."

Everyone stared in shock as the dog proceeded to leap upward while still gripping the fin, performing a one-hundred-and-eighty degree flip, Garchomp's skull now facing the mat. With that, Lucario proceeded to descend slamming her hard into the canvas as the dragon gritted her teeth, groaning from the pain.

"And in a stunning display, Lucario has turned Garchomp's fin against her," Nori stated, "Lord only knows what other surprises he has in store," the British fans going wild while Lucario did not wait for the dragon to recover, sending low kicks into the side of her head while she was down.

Machoke was once again trembling at the sight of this as Reika said, "It's strange. Every time he's about to lose, his strength always increases. You think he might have that power Gardevoir used to have?" Gallade shaking his head and replying, "If he did, we'd see violet lights. It's also worth note that only the females in my family have it, so it's definitely out of the question."

Gallade was right about one thing. The power filling Lucario had absolutely nothing to do with his family. It was being fuelled by something else and he did not even have this power until after the Olympics started. But what was the true cause?

Whatever the case, Amanda was starting to notice a change in Lucario's personality again. Lucario was not the type to attack his opponents while they were down. That was a dirty tactic that villains often used.

Even so, Garchomp was not going to let this keep her down as she swung her arm out, hooking the dog's ankle and pulling hard thus knocking him on his back. Lucario groaned as the dragon got up, saying, "I have to admit, I'm actually impressed, but don't think for a minute that I'm gonna let you do that again."

With that, the dragon performed a backward somersault before leaping off the side of the ring, once again flying around the bottom in an attempt at tricking Lucario. The dog was looking irritated before his eyes widened, Lucario suddenly realizing something so obvious, it pained him that it took him this long to remember it: dogs had an unbelievable sense of smell and he had seldom ever taken advantage of it in his entire life.

With that in mind, the dog took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his nose twitching as he started to sniff, pointing his head up. Amanda blinked and said, "Wow, I haven't seen him do that in a long time," Clauncher asking, "Really?" the girl nodding and replying, "The only time I've ever seen him use it is this one time I lost a broach. He used his sense of smell to track it down," Clauncher lowering her eyelids and replying, "And he's never used it on any other occasion," Amanda shrugging and replying, "Not that I know of."

The lobster blinked and uttered, "Wow, a dog not using his sense of smell... that is just too weird to be questioned. I think I'll just drop it."

At the very least, using it now certainly seemed like a good idea as Lucario had caught Garchomp's scent. After all, he had been making close contact with her constantly throughout the match, so her smell was familiar to him. And soon enough, he detected her flying up behind him and engulfing herself in a bright orange flame, setting up for her Dragon Rage again.

With that, the dragon soared toward Lucario as the dog opened his eyes, leaping out of the way just in time to avoid the attack, Garchomp soaring right past him and running into one of the remaining sets of ropes. Before she could break through the material, though, Lucario sprinted over to her and grabbed hold of the dragon's tail, flinging her hard into the turnbuckle.

The British fans went wild as Clauncher stared in shock, exclaiming, "Wow! At the speed Garchomp was moving at, not many could have pulled that off!" Amanda nodded and thinking, 'She's right, and Lucario shouldn't have been able to pull that off either. I know I should be happy, but I honestly think there's something wrong with this picture.'

Garchomp all the while gritted her teeth after recovering from the hit, thinking, 'Damn. I should have seen it coming. It's happened in both of his previous matches. Just as it looks like he's going to lose, he gets this sudden burst of power that makes him four times stronger than before. I need to find a way around this.'

She really had to think of a method as Lucario had now found a way of countering most of her tactics. Even if she tried her Fin Buzzsaw, not that she would use that against a hero not wearing armour, he would likely just grab her fin and use it against her again. She could no longer rely on flying under the ring for a sneak attack as he knew her scent.

However, she would have to think fast as Lucario was charging toward her, the dragon actually panicking as she took to the air just in time to avoid an incoming strike. She could not believe how scared she was right now. No one had ever made Garchomp feel this way and she hated this feeling. She was facing a fellow hero, not a villain and yet she felt as if her life depended on her coming up with a last-ditch effort to win this match.

However, she saw an opportunity when Lucario decided not to wait for her to land, running to a set of ropes still intact and bouncing off of it, propelling himself up to the dragon's level. A smirk crossed her face as she waited for the dog to get close enough, swinging her arms forward just in time to grab hold of the dog, Lucario's eyes widening.

With that, she proceeded to rise up higher while stating, "Alright, Lucario, you've made an impressive comeback, but ultimately, I'm the one who will face Machoke in the finals!" the dragon releasing a shock wave that covered her body and surrounded her in a blue flame before she flipped herself over, Lucario's head facing the mat.

The Russian fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "Lucario got an amazing advantage, but it seems his luck has finally run out!" Garchomp shouting, "DRAGON RUSH!" as she made contact with the mat, a smoke cloud forming between the two as all went silent.

"Did Garchomp actually win?" Machoke asked as Aipom blinked, replying, "I dunno. Lucario did take in a nasty beating earlier. That might have been enough."

While the smoke cleared, everyone could see the silhouette of Garchomp still standing, the Russian fans cheering wildly. However, when the smoke cleared, their cheers died when when they noticed Lucario latched onto her neck, applying a great deal of pressure to it as the dragon was gasping for air. They could not believe it, the neck that had been powerful enough to sustain an overpowered arm hook was taking in extreme pain from a choke hold.

It was not as if Garchomp's move had no effect on Lucario whatsoever, though. This was made evident by the fact that he had a bit of blood dripping from his mouth. Even so, it seemed like the dog had completely ignored the pain dealt by Garchomp's strongest slam technique, and considering both of her opponents prior had fallen to this move with ease, that was no small feat.

Amanda stared wide-eyed as Clauncher turned to her, saying, "Wow, Lucario's so awesome. It's like he didn't take in any damage whatsoever," before noticing the girl's expression and asking, "So why don't you look happy about this?" Amanda remarking, "Look at how brutal he's being right now."

Clauncher turned back and saw what Amanda meant as Lucario was applying not just a lot of pressure but a deadly amount. If he held on for too long, Garchomp could potentially die as a result of his submission hold.

Beedrill noticed this and exclaimed, "I don't think I need to remind Lucario of what will happen if he kills his opponent!" one of the British fans retorting, "Hey, Lucario would never do that! He's good!" the dog nodding and saying, "Yes, I intend to let go when she surrenders."

'You mean IF I surrender,' Garchomp thought before leaning her neck backward, Lucario's eyes widening when his back ended up being slammed into her fin. Since the spot that hit him was rather sharp, he ended up taking in quite a bit of pain as he fell on his back.

Garchomp took a deep breath before coughing a bit, rubbing her aching neck and grunting, "Alright, enough's enough! It's time to end this!" the dragon sending one of her claws into the dog's gut and shouting, "DRAGON CLAW!" Lucario coughing up blood before she lifted him up saying, "You may have survived one, but there's no way you'll get up after another!"

With that, the dragon took to the air again, once again surrounding herself in a blue flame as everyone watched in silence save for the Russian fans who were ecstatic. There was no doubt that Garchomp's words were true. It was miracle that Lucario had gotten up after taking in such a powerful attack. One more hit would likely finish him.

However, Lucario seemed perfectly aware of this too as he had a serious look on his eyes. Once Garchomp flipped over and started her descent toward the mat, Lucario smirked and stated, "After seeing this move in action three times now, I think I've finally found a way to counter it."

Garchomp's eyes widened as she retorted, "You're bluffing!" only for the dog to prove her wrong by using all his might to force her arms out just enough for him to flip his body around so now his belly was facing hers. As a result, his chest spike dug right into the dragon's flesh as her eyes widened, the pain causing her to let go.

With that, Lucario proceeded to wrap his ankles around the top of her neck before latching his legs onto the bottom, applying all of his might to speeding up their descent. And sure enough, Garchomp's head ended up hitting the canvas hard, a cloud of smoke covering the area.

"Just as it seemed Lucario was done for, he managed to turn Garchomp's Dragon Rush against her," Nori stated, "but will that be enough or will Garchomp surprise us just like Lucario did when that smoke clears?"

The Russian fans waited in anticipation as Amanda was not even sure what outcome to hope for. Sure, it was not uncommon for Lucario to use his chest spike as a weapon, but he normally preferred to save it for his London Bridge technique, never having any intention of using it for anything else. And yet this time, he used it as a means of escaping from Garchomp's hold without a second thought as if it meant nothing.

Reika gulped and said, "My god, it's so intense. I just want the smoke to clear already so I can see how that turned out," Cici squeaking, "Look!" everyone amazed to once again see Garchomp's silhouette standing. However, her arms were pointed out and upward and it looked like Lucario was once again on her back, the fanbases both staring, wondering exactly what was happening right now.

Once the smoke cleared, everyone could see it as Lucario had his legs wrapped around her sides just above her fin with his hands gripping tightly onto her wrists and pulling on them. Garchomp's eyes and mouth were wide open as she once again started to tremble, Lucario pulling extra hard with a serious look in his eyes. Each time Garchomp attempted the same escape from before, it caused her arms even more excruciating pain thus preventing her from doing it.

"And Lucario had Garchomp in a hold that I've never actually seen before," Nori said, Lucario explaining, "This is a submission hold that my father had tried to invent way back when. However, he was never able to perfect it and as such, it was never anything more than a pipe dream! However, I have been training hard and finally figured out what he was trying to do and I guess now is as good a time as ever to reveal it!" all going silent among the crowd as he added, "I believe the name he came up with was Riolu Torment!"

Amanda stared in absolute shock as Garchomp was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her face as she tried her best to struggle free. Now she truly felt like her life was on the line and if she did not get out of this, she would die for sure.

"I don't get it," Machoke uttered, "Why is she having so much trouble getting out of that? It doesn't really look all that special," Aipom shaking her head and replying, "Oh, trust me, Machoke, this is highly advanced. That hold he has on Garchomp is perfect, one of the most perfect holds I've ever seen. His legs and hands are in just the right spot and he's applying just the right amount of force. We're seeing something truly amazing right now."

Lucario took a deep breath and thought, 'I did it, Father, I perfected your precious submission hold,' Garchomp growling as after a few seconds, the audience could hear her arm bones and backbone crack, the Russian fans gasping at the sound of this as Amanda stared in horror.

Garchomp's eyes slowly closed shut as Lucario thought, 'Though I haven't quite finished it yet," before shifting his legs and twisting Garchomp's torso, the dragon's eyes and mouth widening again for only a few seconds as everyone could hear her backbone shattering, the dragon falling forward and landing hard against the mat with her cheek pressed up against it.

Her arms were stuck in a twisted formation as it looked like her bones had been completely dislocated. As if that was not disturbing enough, her arms had been stretched out meaning they were a little bit longer than usual, her wrists now located a little bit above her fins. But worst of all, thanks to that finale Lucario had used, she would not be getting up anytime soon.

Beedrill and Weedle both stared in shock, not even sure what to say until they noticed Garchomp was breathing slightly. As long as she was still alive, they knew they could not disqualify Lucario for this move.

And with that in mind, Beedrill started the ten count while the area went silent. Amanda gritted her teeth, Clauncher actually feeling scared right now. Sure, she knew Lucario wanted to win, but even she had not expected him to go to such extremes. All the girls could do right now was pray that Garchomp would still be fit to fight evil after this.

And with that, the ten seconds were up as the bell rang, Beedrill exclaiming, "AND THE WINNER OF THE LAST MATCH OF THE SEMI-FINALS IS LUCARIO!" the British fans going wild as Lucario held his arms up in triumph, a smirk on his face while Machoke was more scared of the dog than ever before. What if Lucario tried that on him?

However, the area had not quite calmed down as Reika pointed and spat, "LOOK!" everyone turning toward the ring and noticing a horrifying sight. As if the brutal technique Lucario had just used was not enough, the dog had actually lifted Garchomp up by her fin and was dragged her to the side of the ring with the ropes she had snapped open.

"LUCARIO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Amanda spat as the boy turned to her with a smile, saying, "I'm simply helping Garchomp get down from the ring," Machoke's eyes twitching as he asked, "He's not gonna do what I think he's gonna do, is he?" Aipom shaking her head and uttering, "No... it can't be."

Unfortunately, it was just as everyone feared as Lucario wasted no time leaping up into the air before throwing his arms downward, releasing his hold on Garchomp. The Russian fans stared in sheer horror as their representative was descending toward the ring. However, while most of the audience members were too scared to do anything, Aipom immediately got up from her seat and sprinted toward the area.

"WAIT, LET ME HANDLE THIS!" Machoke spat, but it was too late as Aipom was already under Garchomp with all three of her hands pointed upward, Garchomp soon landing hard against them.

Despite her small stature, Aipom was not a complete weakling and as such, she was amazingly able to hold Garchomp up and keep the dragon from hitting the floor too hard. However, this did not last long as her knees bent down, the monkey's eyes widening as all could hear her leg bones snap.

Machoke wasted no time getting up from his seat and racing over toward the area along with Blaziken, Gallade and Hitmonchan. Reika, Tsuya and Cici soon joined in as all seven ran over to the area, Machoke and Blaziken quickly lifting Garchomp off of Aipom's hands. Unfortunately, it seemed Machoke was once again too late as Aipom fell to her knees, biting her lip and trying her best not to cry. Sure, she may have been ten, but she still felt she was too mature for that.

However, she could not hold back the tears of pain any longer as she rolled over onto her back, rubbing her legs with her tail hand. Machoke stared in horror as medics quickly came in, loading Garchomp onto a stretcher, the boy asking, "Aipom, are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me," the monkey fibbed with a forced grin, "I'll be in tip-top shape soon enough," all the while resisting the urge to start bawling. However, the boy simply rolled his eyes and picked her up, saying, "It's okay to cry. Even adults do it from time to time," Aipom shaking her head and sniffing, "You're the best student I could have ever asked for!"

The monkey hugged him while whimpering, Cici biting her lip and trembling at the sight of this while Reika uttered, "Oh my god," the girl then noticing Lucario climbing down from the ring via ladder.

Beedrill immediately flew over and glared at Lucario, saying, "We would have gladly escorted her out of the ring ourselves. That was uncalled for," the dog rolling his eyes and remarking, "But was it against the rules?" the wasp sighing, "Well, luckily for you, she didn't die and the match was over, so I'll let this slide, but never do it again!"

Lucario simply bowed his head and replied, "Yes, sir," the wasp saying, "Thank you," before looking at Aipom and Machoke with concern, Weedle saying nothing. A part of him wanted to disqualify Lucario for this, but it was just as Beedrill said. Heroes had a lot less regulations than humans did during tournaments.

However, Aipom's spirits lifted a tad when a few Russian fans ran to the scene as well, a woman smiling at her and saying, "Aipom, we owe you a debt of gratitude," a man nodding and adding, "Yes, thank you so much for saving Garchomp's life. You're a true hero," the Russian fans grinning and chanting, "Aipom! Aipom! Aipom! Aipom!" more tears welling up in the monkey's eyes, only these were tears of joy.

"Pitiful," Lucario remarked as everyone turned their attention toward him, Hitmonchan remarking, "What is wrong with you!? Aipom's a hero!" the dog remarking, "If being a hero means crippling yourself for someone you have no reason to trust, then I'm starting to wonder if I made the right choice in becoming one."

Amanda gritted her teeth as Clauncher patted her on the shoulder, saying, "You should have a word with him," the girl remarking, "Don't worry. I plan to."

Lucario simply grinned smugly and said, "It's funny how Aipom is deemed as this great genius when she has hardly ever helped you in your matches," Machoke and his friends scowling as the dog added, "Also, if she's so smart, she would have known better to try and lift something clearly too heavy for her to handle. Face it, she caused her own injury today. She's nowhere near as smart as she thinks she is."

Beedrill blinked, not wanting a fight to break out before their scheduled match, the wasp saying, "Okay, there is a lot of tension here, but need I remind you, Machoke, you and Lucario will be fighting next week. So until then, let's have the two of you shake hands to a good upcoming match, alright?"

Lucario nodded and held out his hand while Aipom was loaded up on a stretcher of her own, Machoke glaring at the dog and slowly holding his hand out. However, before the two could shake, the boy gritted his teeth and lifted his hand up, sending a karate chop into Lucario's face and causing him to back up a bit, rubbing his cheek.

The crowd gasped as Machoke spat, "SAY THAT AGAIN! I DARE YOU! CALL AIPOM DUMB ONE MORE TIME AND SEE WHERE IT GETS YOU!" the others holding the boy back, Blaziken sighing, "I was considering doing the same thing just now, but Beedrill's right. Save it for the ring," the boy fuming while glaring at Lucario.

The dog simply rubbed his cheek and said, "I'm looking forward to wiping the floor with you, especially with your trainer out of commission," Lucario then turning around and slowly making his way to the exit of the area, Amanda getting up and pursuing him.

Machoke fumed, his eyes twitching until Aipom smiled weakly at him and said, "Don't worry, Machoke. Just remember everything I taught you and you'll be fine," Machoke taking a deep breath and replying, "I'll make you proud," a warm smile on his face as he placed both his hands gently against her tail hand, Aipom shaking his hands before both let go, the monkey being wheeled into the same ambulance as Garchomp.

Reika looked at Machoke with concern as the boy's serious look turned to fear, the boy now more terrified of facing Lucario than ever before. He could not believe that after becoming a hero, he would still resort to such merciless tactics. Even so, the boy tried his best to hide it right now. He did not want his friends to know how scared he was.

Lucario was just about to exit the area when Amanda marched over to him, the dog turning and saying, "Oh, hi, sis," a friendly smile forming as he added, "I'm in the finals. Isn't that great?" Amanda glaring at him and asking, "Why did you do that?"

"What do you mean?" the dog asked as the girl remarked, "You know damn well what I mean! You could have killed her!" Lucario blinking as she added, "And then you went and insulted Aipom like that just because she did what any sensible person would have done! What happened back there!?"

Lucario's eyes went wide before his look of remorse turned to anger as he snapped, "WHY CAN'T YOU BE HAPPY FOR ME!?" Amanda giving him an awkward stare as he added, "My goal was to face Machoke so I could get our family's honour back! I just happened to need extreme measures to make sure that would happen! If you can't understand that, then just go home! I don't need you here if you're not going to support me!"

Amanda stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes and mouth wide open. This was the first time Lucario had ever snapped at her. Not only did this confuse her but it also terrified her, the girl biting her lower lip as tears welled up in her eyes.

Lucario's eyes widened as he held out his hand, saying, "Amanda, wait-" only for the girl to run toward him, forcing the dog to the side and racing out of the area with a mix of fury and sadness in her eyes. However, before she could leave the area for good, she came to a halt and turned toward Lucario, sniffing, "I'm going back to London! I'm sorry for being such a burden!" before resuming her run out of the arena.

However, when she left, Lucario's regret turned to anger as he slammed his fist into the wall next to him barking to himself, "FINE! I DON'T NEED HER ANYWAY! I'LL WIN MY MATCH WITH MACHOKE AND THEN SHE'LL WISH SHE HAD NEVER SAID SUCH HORRIBLE THINGS TO ME!" the dog storming out of the area when he was certain Amanda was too far away from him to catch up with her.

He was not going to try and stop her from leaving, not anymore. Right now, all he wanted to focus on was defeating Machoke and restoring his family's championship streak. A week from now, the people were sure to be treated to the most intense match they had ever witnessed.


	60. Chapter 60

The pressure was on with only a week to go before Machoke and Lucario were to face each other. However, without Aipom around, Machoke was not feeling all too confident. And after seeing how Lucario defeated Garchomp, the boy was absolutely terrified. Sure, he had talked a good talk, but could he really back it up?

This would have to wait, though, as the following day was a rather exciting one for Tokyo. In light of the upcoming event, a group of heroes from the previous generation had been called to Earth to make special guest appearances, many lined up by the local space station to await their arrival.

And soon enough, a big space shuttle arrived as Nori was standing in front of the area with a camera pointed at her, the woman stating, "I am at the local space station where a spaceship has just arrived from Hero Planet. Coming out will be six of the greatest heroes who used to fight for Earth's safety and needless to say, this is very exciting!"

Many reporters and fans waited outside of the entrance when the door opened up, the special guests exiting while the crowd cheered. Specifically due to the fact that their sons were facing off, Machamp and Riolu had of course made an appearance, the two standing next to each other while waving to the crowd. Riolu had a light smile on his face while Machamp had a big open-mouth smiled, the man waving all four of his arms excitedly.

"It's been so long since people cheered for me!" he exclaimed with a grin as Riolu rolled his eyes, patting him on the shoulder and replying, "Yes, it has certainly been a long time."

Coming up behind them was Bouffalant followed by Greninja, both of course getting plenty of attention as well. Though unlike Riolu, these two were soaking up the applause almost as much as Machamp was. It was like the man had said, cheers like these had been missing from their lives for a long time.

And following close behind as Combusken, the chicken waving happily to all of her fans. Though a part of her was happier to actually have a chance to bond with Machamp after so many years. After all, the two had barely made contact with each other ever since the two started families.

And the last to arrive was a big tortoise with water guns coming from her shell named Blastoise, the crowd cheering for her as well while Nori stated, "Now, Machamp and Lucario have been called in to watch their sons duke it out for the championship title, but the other four are actually going to be special judges for the match! They will be watching to make sure the rules are adhered to. It's also worth note that Machamp, Combusken, Bouffalant and Greninja have a special surprise planned for us, but you'll all have to arrive at the Tokyo Dome an hour before Machoke and Lucario's match to see it."

After a bit more waving, Machamp noticed Keiko in the crowd, his eyes widening as he ignored the cameras and adoring fans and walking over to her, the two holding hands as the man exclaimed, "Wow, Keiko, it's been ages! You barely look like you've aged at all!" Keiko chuckling and replying, "And you look pretty good too."

Combusken and Riolu both stared at this, the two remembering how Keiko and Machamp used to be sweethearts back in the day. Hopefully this reunion would not end up being too awkward.

"You should come by later," Keiko replied, "I still live in the same place, so I know you'll be able to find it," Machamp nodding and replying, "Sure, though it'll have to be later. Combusken and I are gonna spend some quality time at the nearest fast food stand," the woman nodding and replying, "Of course. You know I'd never get in the way of something like that."

"So why didn't he settle for her again?" Bouffalant asked the others, "She's really understanding," Combusken sighing, "It's kind of a long story."

During this time, Psyla and Gardevoir were taking a break from training while breathing heavily, Gardevoir saying, "I feel so much stronger," the wolf grinning and replying, "Yeah, I've noticed great strides, but you still haven't quite mastered control over your powers just yet," the wolf then sitting cross-legged and replying, "But I think you might be ready for the final phase."

Gardevoir stared in curiosity as Psyla added, "Now, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Afterwards, think about nothing else but protecting those around you," Gardevoir nodding and doing as told, focusing hard. Thinking about her friends and family was easy enough for her, so this was not too much to ask.

The real challenge was that she would have to remain like this for a while. It could very well take hours or even more than a day. Psyla did not know if it would take the same amount of time for Gardevoir to master the power as it had for her seeing as she had not merged with an earlier stage of the power herself.

During this time, Scyther had finally made a full recovery as Heracross and Lopunny stayed by her side, the insect smiling at them. However, all three were rather surprised to see Reika arrive, the girl smiling softly.

"Oh, hello, Reika," Scyther said, the girl noticing the insect standing and asking, "Are you okay to move?" Lopunny nodding and squealing, "Yes! Scyther's just made a full recovery!" the insect nodding and adding, "We're all gonna be there to cheer Machoke on."

Reika nodded before asking, "Say, you guys have been through a lot and you're only going to be in Tokyo for another week, right?" the trio nodding as the girl bit her lip, adding, "I was wondering if you'd like to hang out," Scyther shrugging and replying, "I don't see why not," Heracross and Lopunny staring in shock. Had Scyther just decided to have fun without being pressured into it?

All the while, Cici had started training at the gym. Since Reika was busy right now, she had turned to Gallade to help her become stronger seeing as he had been helping Gardevoir up to this point. Since his sister was having her own training, the boy gladly accepted and Hitmonchan had even offered to help out. After all, having heard of the existence of Hyun, Cici wanted to be as strong as she had been.

Blaziken on the other hand was not having such a good time right now. She had decided to help Machoke train for his finals match only to find him not home every time she stopped by. She was starting to fear the worst. After all, it was not completely against Machoke's nature to try running away from the match.

After checking for the fifth time that day, the chicken called up the others. She was not going to let Machoke back out of this, not after he had come so far. As such, she immediately called up the others to let them know what was going on.

Gallade and Cici had been training for roughly an hour when they got the call, Gallade turning to the girl as she nodded, saying, "We should help," the boy smiling and replying, "Yeah, let's go," Hitmonchan suggesting, "We should split up to cover more ground," all three nodding.

During this time, Reika had taken Scyther and the others to the club. Due to recent events, she and the others had not really gotten a chance to hang out here anymore. Lopunny felt rather underwhelmed by the simplicity of the place at first but soon grew attached, mostly after giving the karaoke machine a shot.

Heracross and Scyther were both dominating the pool tables, both of them locked in a heated game with Reika watching them. It was at this exact moment when she got Blaziken's call, the girl nodding in understanding before briefing the others on the situation at hand. After all Machoke had done, Scyther was not going to let him quit and as such, she was more than happy to help look for him.

Blaziken was about to call up Gardevoir as well, but she knew how important the girl's training was. There was no way she was going to interfere with that. Even without her helping out, though, she figured that she and her friends working together would be more than good enough.

And it seemed she had actually made the right call. Machoke had indeed been trying to sneak away while wearing a backpack with his belongings in it, sporting a thick trench coat and a big hat in order to blend in with the crowd. In fact, he had actually managed to stay hidden until the evening just started.

During this time, Machamp had finished catching up with Combusken and the others and was now at Keiko's house. The woman had prepared him a nice noodle dish with tiger prawns, Asian sausage, green onions and a sweet sauce.

"This is incredible!" the man exclaimed, slurping down the noodles at a rapid pace as Keiko smiled sweetly, replying, "Glad you like it," Machamp then asking, "So how come you're still not married? Any guy would be lucky to have you!" Keiko biting her lower lip as the man panicked, exclaiming, "Sorry! I know how much you'd rather not think about that!"

"It's okay," Keiko replied with a chuckle, "You're sweet, but you deserve Kala. She's a better fit for you," Machamp groaning, "That just makes me feel like more of a bad guy."

"Okay, let's talk about something more positive," Keiko replied, "like your son. He really is a worthy successor, isn't he?" Machamp nodding and saying, "Well, he has certainly kept up my winning streak," Keiko snickering as the man remarked, "What's that about!?"

"Well, if I recall, you lost a total of ten matches back in your prime," the woman stated as Machamp looked down, sighing, "I'd rather not think about that," Keiko shaking her head and replying, "Don't forget, those losses were vital to you getting better."

Machamp was still not looking too comfortable talking about this when suddenly, Keiko heard a brief chime on her phone, Machamp blinking as she took it out saying, "Oh, Reika must have sent me a text," before laughing and adding, "Whenever she has big plans, she often forgets to tell me for the first hour or so. I wonder what she's been up to."

Keiko looked at the text, her eyes widening as Machamp asked, "What is it?" the woman replying, "Seems like your son's trying to avoid his match with Lucario. Reika and the others have spent the last couple of hours searching for him."

"What!?" Machamp spat as Machoke just happened to be sneaking by this exact house right now. The boy's eyes widened as he could swear her heard his father's voice and of course, when he looked through the window, sure enough his father was there.

"Dammit, I thought he was better than this!" Machamp grunted, folding his arms and sighing, "I wouldn't have run away from my finals match like that!" Machoke thinking, 'Sorry, Dad, but I value my life too much. I hate to duck out after coming so far, but I'll never be a champion like you.'

"Are you so sure about that?" Keiko asked Machamp as Machoke blinked in curiosity, Machamp remarking, "What do you mean by that?" the woman chuckling and replying, "He's a chip off the old block if I ever saw one!"

Machamp gulped and shifted his eyes back and forth, Keiko adding, "Face you, you would have done the same thing if you were in his shoes," Machoke thinking, 'What? My dad trying to avoid the finals?' the woman stating, "Seriously, when a big fight was coming up, you were one of the biggest cowards in the world."

Machoke could not believe what he was hearing. Whenever people spoke of his father, they always talked about how great, brave and heroic he was, how he was the exact opposite of the boy. Had all of that been untrue?

"People generally don't know about that because only we were around to see you acting like that," Keiko added, "There would be multiple instances where we'd have to force you into the ring," the woman laughing just thinking about it as Machamp sighed, "Dammit, stop reminding me of that!" Machoke thinking, 'So it's true.'

"However," Keiko stated, "when you finally did get into the ring, you were one of the greatest fighters the world had ever seen. Your fear would leave you and you'd fill up with a fiery passion," Machamp nodding and replying, "I will admit, I owe a lot of that to you and the others," Machoke listening with great intent as the man added, "I hate to sound cheesy, but if it hadn't been for you guys sticking by me and showing your support, I never would have gained the reputation I have today."

Machoke bit his lip, a great sense of guilt filling his heart. He could relate to this so much right now. He owed a great deal of his success to his friends cheering him on and being there for him. And he knew he had a similar effect on the others, especially Gardevoir who would have never been motivated to go the extra mile if it had not been for his influence.

Keiko smiled warmly and said, "If I know your family, Machoke's going to come to his senses. I say we give him time," the boy letting down tears and thinking, 'Reika's mom is smart. She knows exactly what I'm thinking, though eventually may come sooner than she thinks.'

With that, the boy immediately sprinted off toward his home as Keiko could hear rustling in the bushes, the woman looking out the window. Machamp blinked and asked, "What is it now?" the woman smiling and replying, "Just wind."

The others had met up with each-other near Reika's house as Blaziken sighed, "I couldn't find him anywhere," Gallade saying, "No one else seemed to have seen him either," Reika's noticing someone dressed in a trench coat run by, her eyes going wide when his hat flew off to reveal a familiar set of ridges atop his head.

The others noticed as Scyther spat, "HEY, THAT WAS MACHOKE!" the others turning as all of the friends pursued the boy. Machoke simply stopped in his tracks when he heard their footsteps and turned to them saying, "Hey, guys, I can't talk right now. I have some serious training ahead of me and I'd like to start now," the boy resuming his run as the others smiling, laughing before Scyther said, "Guess our search was pointless, wasn't it?"

Lucario, on the other hand, had already started training, though this form was a lot different from what Machoke had in mind. He was at a construction site where a big rock was placed atop a wood board with a crane carrying a wrecking ball was located behind it. As for Lucario himself, he was standing atop a big structure made entirely out of girders.

The man operating the crane poked his head out from the door and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to take a break? You've been at this for hours," Lucario remarking, "I need to figure out how to counter that Sunset Slam of Machoke's before our match! I'll do this for the remaining six days if I have to!" the man shrugging and replying, "You're the boss."

With that, Lucario leapt off the girder with his back facing the crane, the wrecking ball then dropped onto the wooden board as the rock was launched hard into his back. This seemed to cause great pain but Lucario ignored it as he ended up flying into another girder right in front of him, falling hard against the ground.

The crane driver winced as the dog slowly rose to his feet, breathing heavily and sporting a creepy smirk, exclaiming, "OH YEAH, I ALMOST MADE A BREAKTHROUGH THAT TIME! LET'S DO IT AGAIN!"

And of course, Amanda was nowhere to be seen. To the best Lucario and Clauncher's knowledge, she had taken a flight back to London. After all, she did not wish to see her brother like he was right now, and it seemed wise to avoid him as he appeared to be going insane. Right now, all he could think about was revenge on the Mach family and nothing else. He had even forgotten about how much he had scared Amanda the other day.

During this time, Gardevoir had finally finished her training with Psyla as she saw the violet aura surrounding her palms, Psyla smiling and saying, "You've done it. I'm proud of you," the girl smiling bright and giving her aunt a hug.

"Thank you so much," the girl said, her eyes sparkling as Psyla nodded and added, "There is one thing worth note, though. It might be wise to save this power for when you truly need it. Because you went through a different cycle to master it then I did, I'm not exactly sure how it will work for you, so I wouldn't recommend using it throughout and entire match unless you really feel it's necessary."

Gardevoir nodded and replied, "I wasn't really planning on using it like that anyway. The aura's always been a last minute resort for me. Why change it now?"

During this time, Machoke had started his training, planning to keep this up until midnight as he could not bring himself to stay up even a minute past that time no matter how hard he tried. Currently, the boy was sending a series of karate chops into a bag he had filled up with sand.

After sending one into the bag, he uttered, "One-thousand-three-hundred-and-eight," sending another into it and adding, "One-thousand-three-hundred-and-nine," only for the door to open behind him, the boy's eyes going wide as a female voice said, "You're never going to get anywhere putting such half-assed effort into your training."

Machoke frowned and remarked, "Who asked you!?" before turning around and barking, "Who are you, anyway!? I've never seen you before!" then seeing the owner of the voice was a thin girl wearing a blue fighter's outfit, had long brown air in a ponytail and wore a mask resembling the yin yang symbol with an eye hole on each colour.

The girl simply folded her arms and remarked, "Do you always ask who people are before introducing yourself?" Machoke blinking before bowing his head and replying, "Oh, sorry. I'm Machoke," the boy staring silently for a few seconds before barking, "HEY, YOU SEEMED TO ALREADY KNOW WHO I WAS!"

"Not very quick on the uptake," the stranger replied, shaking her head, "Still, I already know you have the potential to defeat Lucario," Machoke grinning and asking, "Really?" the girl sighing, "But you're going to need a lot of work."

"Then why are you here?" the boy remarked, "Did you just come here to make fun of me?" the girl shaking her head and replying, "No, I wish to fill in for Aipom as your trainer until the Olympics are over."

Machoke stared in silence for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and saying, "I'm sorry, but first of all, you're a complete stranger to me and secondly, I don't think anyone can replace Aipom as my trainer. I'm just going to use what she's taught me over the years and hope it works," the stranger shaking her head and remarking, "Look, Machoke, do you honestly think that's good enough?"

The boy gritted his teeth, remarking, "Well, what makes you think you're capable of helping me win!?" the girl quickly running over to the boy, getting behind him and grabbing his arms and leaning backward, wrapping her ankles around his and pulling hard.

Machoke's eyes widened as he could not believe what he was experiencing. This was Lucario's London Bridge technique to a tee. The only difference was that this stranger did not have a spike coming out of her chest.

"I have a lot of secrets, but for a reason I cannot tell you, I happen to know Lucario very well," the girl explained, "I know his moves inside and out. I know how he fights. If anyone can help you defeat him, I can."

She soon released her hold on Machoke as he took a few deep breaths, turning to face her, his eyes wide open. The boy was still not completely sure, but something in her eyes told him he could trust her. As such, he asked, "So, you're sure you really know as much about Lucario as you claim?" the girl nodding and replying, "Believe you me. No one knows more about him than I do," Machoke nodding and saying, "Alright."

The boy then held up his hand as the girl reached hers forward, holding onto it as the two shook them. The girl then smiled and added, "My name's Meisai, by the way," Machoke smiling and saying, "Very nice to meet you, Meisai."


	61. Chapter 61

With Meisai having entered the picture, Machoke was hard at work getting ready for his match with Lucario and feeling confident. Sure, it was rather suspect that this girl apparently knew a lot about Lucario despite having never been seen near him, but even so, the boy just had this funny feeling he could trust her.

The two were currently in the middle of a sparring match, Machoke currently on the receiving end of the London Bridge again as Meisai smirked under her mask, saying, "I may be just a human, but don't think that means I'll be easy," the boy's eyes wide open as he grunted, "I can see that!"

The boy gritted his teeth, wincing in pain. Sure, Lucario was not the one using it and there was no spike, but it was still effective, the girl sighing, "How can you expect to beat Lucario if you can't find a way out of this move?"

Machoke blinked and asked, "Can't I just not fall victim to it?" Meisai remarking, "That would sound ideal, but even so, we can't rule out the possibility that he can get you with this," Machoke having no clue what to do as the girl released her hold on him, allowing him to fall on his side.

"Lucario has a major weakness that can easily be exploited but only if you know exactly how to go about it," Meisai explained, "It's the fact that up until now, he has only relied on London Bridge to finish his opponents. He knows quite a few specials that Riolu used back in the day but refuses to use them for personal reasons. He's likely to try it on you more than anything else. If you can find a way out of that move, it'll be rendered useless."

"But what about that Riolu Punisher thing?" Machoke asked as Meisai replied, "It's called Riolu Torment, but that is a good question. Him using it on Garchomp was the first time I had ever seen it. Like he said, his father had tried to perfect that very move but had never quite gotten the position of his arms and legs right. And I've been thinking really hard about how to avoid falling victim to that move."

"Good," Machoke replied with a big smile, "So how do I escape from it?" the girl replying, "You don't let him hit you with it," the boy falling on his side again before quickly springing back up, retorting, "What the hell!? Weren't you just telling me we couldn't rule out the possibility of me falling victim to his special moves!?"

"Yes, it's true I did say that," the girl replied, "but here's the thing. Something I did notice with that setup is that the Riolu Punisher is more difficult for Lucario to pull off, so he's likely to save it as a last-minute resort. When that happens, you are going to do everything to avoid it, but even so, you still have a long way to go."

"What else is there for me to worry about?" Machoke groaned as Meisai added, "Well, I got a sneak peak at his training earlier, and currently, he's trying to figure out a way to counter your Sunset Slam," Machoke's eyes going wide as she nodded, adding, "It only makes sense. After all, he likely knows how to counter your other finishing moves."

"So you're saying I need to come up with another new finisher," the boy replied with disappointment in his tone, "But I haven't even had the move for that long!" Meisai shaking her head and replying, "Actually, I know you can beat him with this technique. However, you must wait for my signal to use it. Wait for me to say Daybreak. That's when you will use it."

Machoke nodded and replied, "Daybreak," a grin forming on his face as he added, "I can remember that."

All the while, Lucario was currently taking a break from his intense training while sitting in the hotel room he had booked for him and Amanda to stay in. It felt strange with his sister no longer there but even so, he was not going to let this get him down. After all, she simply did not understand his drive. That was not his fault, was it?

However, while in the room, he was seated in front of the TV watching a recording of the match between Riolu and Machamp. Apparently, as a means of celebrating the Hero Olympics, the sports network was having a marathon of classic Olympic matches and this was just what Lucario needed.

Throughout the match, it seemed that Riolu had the upper hand. Sure, it started with Machamp delivering a fierce backdrop and dealing quite a bit of damage. However, Riolu had recovered rather quickly and proceeded to strike Machamp hard with a slew of karate chops to his head. Despite being so early in the match, Riolu had come very close to drawing blood.

The rest of the match seemed more in his favour as well, the dog pulling out all kinds of stops. He dealt an onslaught of slams and hits, including a family favourite, Force Palm. Every now and then, Machamp would land a hit, but most of the match was Riolu dominating.

However, despite all of this, Machamp still ended up winning with a last-minute resort so shocking that Riolu had to have seen it coming to get out of it. Just as it seemed the man had been knocked out, Riolu turned his back to him just long enough for Machamp to recover and grab him from behind. Spellbound by this sudden turnaround, Riolu had fallen victim to a technique Machoke did not know how to use and from what he could gather, Machamp had never used it again after this.

With this move, the man leapt high above the ring, stopping midway and leaning backward while holding onto Riolu's ankles and wrists, the dog's back facing him. He then pulled hard on the back briefly before releasing his hold on Riolu. As the dog descended, Machamp proceeded to wrap his arms around him, setting up him for a tombstone piledriver and slamming him hard against the mat.

'So the problem was that he was too arrogant,' Lucario thought, taking a deep breath. It could not be as simple as just being alert, could it? Sure, giving Machoke time to get up would be a bad idea, but there had to be more.

With that, the dog then remembered something earlier. When walking home from the construction site, he overheard someone mention that a TV application known as Netflix was specifically hosting old fight footage due to the Hero Olympics raising people's interest in these old matches. The footage in question had been generously provided by Hero Planet, but only the footage they wanted the world to see.

With that in mind, Lucario took full advantage of this, looking for anything, any footage of his father not only fighting but winning. And he knew exactly what matches to look for as he had studied Riolu's track record, knowing which opponents he had beaten and which ones he had lost to. The one he was most interested in, though, was when his father became champion in the twentieth Hero Olympics at the young age of fourteen.

In the final match here, Riolu was up against a toad with a build very similar to that of Poliwhirl named Poliwrath. It was an intense match, but Riolu's determination and spirit kept him going. However, what ultimately won him the match was a very power slam, a move that Lucario was very familiar with known as the Half-Moon Press.

Lucario then watched a match between his father and a black and purple snaked named Seviper. Nearing the end of the match, Riolu was taking in multiple strikes from a blade on the end of the snake's tail, Seviper shouting, "POISON TAIL!"

While this went on, a male announcer stated, "Riolu's taking in a horrible amount of punishment right now from Poison Tail! As the name implies, poison is entering his body right now and making him weaker by the second!"

This seemed so as Riolu had a variety of cuts on him, a the blood inside of him turning purple. Seviper laughed and hissed, "You've been such a good challenge, I'm willing to make a deal with you! If you give up now, I'll give you the antidote to my poison!" the dog grabbing onto her tail before she could strike him again and remarking, "I'D RATHER DIE THAN SEE YOU HARM ANOTHER INNOCENT LIFE!"

Despite his body feeling weaker, the dog's eyelids struggling to stay open, he still found the strength to lift up Seviper by the tail, sending her high into the air and leaping up to her level. He then proceeded to latch his legs around her neck before lifting his body up and wrapping his arms around her waist, descending hard and fast toward the canvas.

Once Seviper's head made contact, Riolu exclaimed, "CANINE HUG SLAM!" Seviper coughing up blood and passing out as the crowd cheered. Lucario would have wondered how his father survived the poison coursing through him, but he then remembered his father telling him briefly about how he had been poisoned during this match and how Seviper had turned over a new leaf and gave him the antidote despite him refusing her terms.

However, what Lucario did notice was that once again, Riolu won with a slam finisher. And going through more footage, he noticed that Riolu had two other finishers involving him slamming the opponent, never once using a single submission hold. Though of course, Lucario had known of these techniques. He just refused to use them as he wanted to be different from his father. Even his version of Force Palm was a tad different as Riolu did not have the blue aura that went with Lucario's.

Perhaps that would likely hold him back if he was to fight Machoke. He was certain the boy had been paying attention to his fighting style and had probably figured out ways around many of his techniques by now. It was only a matter of time until his precious London Bridge met the same fate as Machoke's Muscle Tombstone.

But something no one would expect was for him to use his father's finishing moves. That would be his plan of attack. When not working on a way to counter the Sunset Slam, he would practice his father's slam techniques so he could use them on Machoke if need be. Machoke had a knack for pulling off miracles that no one could see coming. It was time for Lucario to do the same.

Of course he also had the Riolu Torment, a move that he knew Machoke would not be able to get out of. However, he also knew that anyone could avoid the move if they were in good enough condition. Sure, it was flawless after being executed, but the setup was something anyone could bypass by taking a single step forward. It was the greatest move he had but also the most flawed, so Lucario would no doubt save it for when he knew Machoke would be too weak to evade it.

Lucario had a serious look in his eyes as he was now fully confident he could win his finals match. All his doubts had left him. Sure, he would have to borrow his father's techniques, but if it helped him restore the family honour, it was worth it.

During this time, Gardevoir had finally returned to the city with only an hour to spare before she normally went to bed. She often timed herself to sleep at the same time as Machoke, no later than midnight.

During this time, Gallade and Hitmonchan were sitting on the couch watching an action movie in Gallade and Gardevoir's suite when the girl approached the door, taking a deep breath. Even though she had only been training for one afternoon and one full day, she felt as if she had been away from her brother more than long enough. This was funny considering her trip to Paris had lasted longer and Gallade had not gone with her for that.

Even so, the girl slowly opened the door, her eyes going wide when she saw her brother and his girlfriend on the couch, Gallade pausing the movie and turning slowly, Gardevoir smiling lightly and squeaking, "Hi!"

Gallade and Hitmonchan both smiled wide, Gallade racing over to his sister and giving her a hug, asking, "So how did it go?" Gardevoir grinning and replying, "You'll have to wait until my next match," Gallade groaning, "Not fair," Hitmonchan chuckling, the trio making sure not to make too much noise. After all, Gallade and Gardevoir did live in a condo.

And the rest of the week went by rather well. Machoke had put up a sign on his door to tell people he did not wish to be disturbed. His friends were rather shocked, not so much because he was not letting them in but rather because he was taking training seriously enough not to let himself be distracted. Gardevoir did hope he would come out every now and then though. She wanted to at least spend some time with him before the big match.

Lucario all the while was training hard. He had made a few test dummies out of logs and sticks and set them up in a field while trying out his father's greatest techniques on them. After all, he had never used them before, so he would need to get the hang of them before using them in a real fight.

At one point, he actually looked around to see if he could find Clauncher, wanting her to help him spar. But unbeknownst to him, Clauncher was starting to see him in a way similar to Amanda and had become a bit scared of him after the way he threw Garchomp out of the ring. As such, she was not willing to help him train. This did not bother Lucario, though, as he had been independent for a long time, so training himself was not a huge issue.

And of course, Machoke was getting all kinds of pointers from Meisai. Again, he had no idea how this girl knew so much about Lucario, but he just knew he could trust her.

After a few hours of sparring, Meisai took a deep breath and said, "I think you've earned yourself a break," Machoke asking, "Really?" the girl nodding and replying, "Hey, you got the rest of the week to prepare yourself. That's a long time," the boy nodding and replying, "Yeah, I guess that's true," a big grin forming as he exclaimed, "I'm gonna hang out with the guys!"

"Wait," Meisai said, Machoke wincing when he heard this and asking, "Are you saying I can't hang out with them?" the girl replying, "Oh no, I'm perfectly fine with that. Just be sure to be back in two hours," Machoke groaning, "That's not much of a break," the girl giving him a stern look as he laughed nervously, uttering, "On second thought, I think it's fine!"

With that, the boy took off as Meisai shook her head, thinking, 'He may not be the most responsible of heroes, but I'm sure he can do it.'

And on that note, the boy decided to call up everyone for some time in the club, Gardevoir so happy to talk to him again. The girl had just finished talking about her training and the results as everyone looked impressed.

Machoke was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of slacks while Blaziken was wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt of her own. As always, Gallade was only wearing pants while Hitmonchan wore the same clothes she always did. Scyther had also joined them, the insect actually wearing clothes for a change. She never saw the point seeing as heroes had nothing to really cover up, but Reika had talked her into it and she rather liked the feel of having clothes on.

"Wow, I can't wait to see you in action again," Machoke said to Gardevoir with a big grin as Scyther was blushing, Reika patting her on the shoulder and saying, "You look great," the insect sighing, "Well, it's not like I care about my image or anything," the others shaking their heads as they could tell she was lying.

"So, Machoke, how's your training going?" Blaziken asked, "You've been more serious about it than usual," the boy replying, "Yeah, well, I need to prepare really hard if I'm going to stand a chance against Lucario," Gallade giving him thumbs up and replying, "Aipom would so proud to hear you say that."

"Are you sure you're not just spending all this time on a grand entrance again?" Reika asked as the others stared, the girl actually having a good point there. Machoke simply let out a sigh and replied, "I can assure you, not this time," the others shrugging and deciding not to question him further.

And for the rest of the week, Machoke and Lucario did their hardest to ready themselves for the main event while everyone waited in anticipation for it. The rest of the week felt longer than usual as a result, but when it finally came to an end, all of the preparations had been made as the final match would take place in the Tokyo Dome.

And as instructed, many arrived an hour early for a special event that was to take place, Nori taking a seat as Beedrill and Weedle sat nearby as well, Beedrill exclaiming, "Thank you all for coming so early, and let me tell you, you will not regret this! The Hero Planet government has agreed to a very special event, an exhibition match between heroes from the past generation!"

Everyone was super excited now as the wasp added, "But this isn't any ordinary match between two old heroes, mind you. No, this is a tag team match between the two most famous teams of all time. Nori, care to introduce them?"

The woman nodded and exclaimed, "In the red corner, the dream team that won the first ever Tag Team Tournament, a pairing that only got stronger and stronger with age, The Raging Bulls!" the crowd going wild as Combusken and Machamp headed toward the ring, Machamp waving to the crowd and blowing kisses. Just like when he left the space station, he was more than happy to be receiving so much attention after his retirement from the hero business.

"And in the blue corner, another set of powerhouses famous for having defeated a group of villains who cheated their way into the Tag Team Tournament," Nori stated, "Introducing The Sonic Muscles!" everyone cheering as Greninja and Bouffalant headed toward the ring, Bouffalant saying, "I still think our team name's kinda lame," Greninja remarking, "If you'd had a better way of combining my speed and your strength into a team name back in the day, you should have said something."

With that, both teams stared each-other down as Nori said, "Even though they're the best of friends, they're treating this like a serious match between rivals, and it only makes sense. Both Machoke and Combusken have fought these two separately before. Machoke defeated both of them while Combusken has only defeated Greninja, but even so, I'm sure both members of The Sonic Muscles want a piece of them."

"You're not really bitter about that, are you?" Machamp asked as both shrugged, Greninja replying, "It may have been humiliating, but you were the one who showed us each the light, so I can't say I'm bitter," Bouffalant nodding and adding, "We're still gonna wipe the floor with you, though."

On that note, Combusken smirked and said, "I've been itching to return to the ring for some time. Let me go first," Machamp nodding and replying, "If you insist," the chicken leaping over the ropes while Bouffalant entered, stating, "I'm taking this one, no ifs, ands or buts," Greninja shrugging and replying, "You have no arguments from me."

With that, the bell was rung as Bouffalant immediately raced toward Combusken with his horns lowered, shouting, "BUFFALO STAMPEDE!" only for the chicken to wait for him to get close before dodging to the side and wrapping an arm around his neck, slamming his chin hard against the mat.

However, the bison was not going to stand for this as he swung his fist into her face, distracting her long enough to wrap his arms around her and start sending knee kicks into her gut. The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "After an impressive counter from Combusken, Bouffalant has responded with a series of knee kicks, and with his power, this is nothing to scoff at!"

However, after a few hits, the chicken smirked and said, "Don't think you can beat me," her beak suddenly lighting flame as she spat, "FIRE PECK!" reeling her head back before sending it forward, striking Bouffalant's forehead with her beak as he winced in pain, releasing his hold.

The crowd was even more thrilled as the chicken proceeded to bend down, sweeping her foot across the mat and causing Bouffalant to trip and fall on his back. She then proceeded to flip him onto his belly before latching onto his leg with her whole body, the chicken turning her body and twisting said spot, Bouffalant trying desperately to ignore the pain.

"And there's that famous family signature move!" Nori exclaimed, "I have to admit, Combusken just might get that win she so desperately needed back when she first fought Bouffalant back in the day!" the bison releasing steam from his nostrils when he noticed Greninja holding out her hand.

"Quick, tag me!" the frog exclaimed, Bouffalant sighing, "I hate to admit it, but I might actually need this," the bison slowly reaching out his arm and slapping it against Greninja's, Combusken knowing she had to release her hold on Bouffalant as per the rules.

Seeing this, Machamp exclaimed, "Hey, Combusken, tag me! I want a piece of Greninja!" the chicken smirking and walking over before tagging him in, saying, "Give her Hell," the two trading places.

"It's been a while since we last fought, hasn't it?" Machamp asked as Greninja wasted no time racing toward him and sending an array of karate chops, Machamp doing his best to block the incoming chops. Even with four hands, this was not easy as he grunted, "Geez, not one for pleasantries, are you?"

However, after attempting more chops, Greninja knew that Machamp was distracted as she spat, "TONGUE NOOSE!" lashing out her tongue and wrapping it around the man's neck. Machamp's eyes widened as the frog held on tight, saying, "Don't think I'll go easy on your just because we're friends."

"I figured you wouldn't," the man remarked before smirking and spreading his for hands out before sending them all into the middle of the tongue, Greninja's eyes widening as she released her hold, rubbing the spot. As if that was not enough, Machamp then proceeded to lift her up, flipping her upside down and sending her head into the mat hard with a tombstone piledriver.

The crowd went wild as Greninja got up, gritting her teeth before barking, "HEY, YOU KNOW HOW SENSITIVE MY TONGUE IS!" Machamp remarking, "If it's so sensitive, why do you use it as a weapon?" the frog sending a series of chops at him shouting, "SHUT UP! YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A FISH FACE ANYWAY!" the man sending his own karate chops at her while retorting, "OH YEAH!? AT LEAST I'M NOT A SWAMP MONSTER!"

The two then proceeded to have a slap fight with each other, everyone staring in confusion as Greninja snapped, "FISH FACED FREAK OF NATURE!" Machamp barking, "SLIMY SWAMP THING!" the bell ringing as Nori sighed, "Break it up."

With that, Combusken and Bouffalant walked into the ring, grabbing both fighters by the shoulders and pulling them away from each-other, Combusken sighing, "Calm down, Machamp," Bouffalant saying, "You too, Greninja. You're supposed to be mature."

With that, the exhibition match was put to a stop as Beedrill sighed, "We were hoping that would last longer, folks. We're sorry," the crowd seeming happy enough to have even witnessed a small fight between these legendary fighters.

With that, Combusken and Machamp were walking down the hall with Machamp having a bag humped over his shoulder. Down this very hall, Machoke was in a training room preparing for his match with Meisai. After a bit of training, the girl took a deep breath before saying, "You've been a great student, Machoke, and it will be a true honour giving you advice during this match."

"Well, you've really helped a lot," the boy replied with a smile, "I still don't know why you'd take the time to help me, but it really means a lot that you would," Meisai bowing her head and saying, "If you don't mind, I need to go to the ladies room."

With that, the girl took off as Machamp and Combusken were closing in on the room, Combusken sighing, "I swear to god, Machamp, even at the age of forty-seven, you're still a kid," the man remarking, "As if you're that much more mature."

The man then noticed the door to the training room, knowing that was where Machoke was. However, for whatever reason, only the trainer was allowed to see the boy before the match. With that in mind, Machamp quickly set his bag down right next to the door when the two passed by, the man giving it two quick knocks while Combusken was too busy talking to notice.

"Hey, what say I treat you to some noodles later, eh?" Machamp asked as the chicken beamed, replying, "You know exactly how to get out of trouble."

Once the two were gone, Machoke opened the door and looked around before noticing the bag in front of him and picking it up, grinning and exclaiming, "Hey, what's this!? A gift from a fan, no doubt! Maybe it's food!"

The boy quickly opened it up, his eyes going wide when he noticed inside was not food but rather it was a headband and a pair of wristbands. Each one had a picture of a flame on it. Machoke knew exactly what these were, too. They were the bands worn by his father when he defeated his final opponent before retirement, a dinosaur by the name of Groudon.

The boy put on a serious look and thought, 'I'll make you proud, Dad. I'll carry on the family legacy. Don't you worry about a thing.'

During this time, Bouffalant and Greninja were walking down the hallway on the opposite end of the dome, Greninja sighing, "I'm so sorry, Bouffalant. I don't know what came over me," the bison patting her on the shoulder and replying, "Hey, being friends with that weirdo is enough to make anyone crazy every now and then."

The two then passed by a room where Lucario was in a meditative state, staring at a photo of Riolu. The boy took a deep breath and thought, 'Alright, father, I'm going to do it. I'm going to borrow your techniques, but only for this match, so don't think I'm gonna make a trend of that. I'm only using it now because this is a special occasion.'

Things were certainly getting intense as there was a little less than an hour to go before the match. Both fighters felt ready, but who would end up victorious? It was only a matter of time until the world found out.


	62. Chapter 62

Note: In case you're wondering, yes, Skytha is, in fact, Mega Scizor.

Only a few minutes remained until the big match began, the match between Machoke and Lucario. After Machamp and Riolu fought in the twenty-first Hero Olympics, people had wanted to see a match between their kids and they had finally gotten their wish. But would Machoke carry on the family legacy and claim the belt again or would Lucario take the championship title back?

Whatever the case, the crowd was getting restless, wanting to know more and more what the answer to this question would be. They just wanted Nori to hurry up and announce the heroes so the match could begin.

There were more seats than usual as much more fans had shown up for this event. Of course, most of Machoke's friends were in the crowd while Clauncher sat away from them feeling neutral right now. With the way Lucario had been acting, she was now contemplating whether or not she should cheer Machoke on. After all, she knew nothing about him but was friends with Lucario.

All the while, Aipom was still in her hospital bed, her legs still not fully recovered. Bisharp and Scrafty had agreed to stay with her while having the match play on the TV. After all, there was no way Aipom was going to miss this match, hospital or not.

Machamp and Riolu were seated next to each-other in the crowd as Riolu asked, "So, where's Kala?" Machamp remarking, "Where's Sarah?" the dog replying, "Touche."

All the while, Greninja, Blastoise, Combusken and Bouffalant were all seated around the ring, dressed in their finest attire with each sitting in front of a corner. After all, they were the special judges for the tournament. They were to make sure no rules were being broken therefor it only made sense for one to be watching each side like a hawk.

Blaziken smiled and waved to Combusken, her mother smiling and raising her hand to imply a wave. She could not keep it up longer, though, as it would have made her look unprofessional and unfocused. She took this job very seriously and was not going to let her own personal feelings ruin her chance at possibly getting it in the future.

"Well, folks, this is it!" Beedrill exclaimed, "The Olympics have been absolutely amazing so far! The events themselves were a great warmup, but this tournament has truly been the best yet, having the most intense matches ever seen before the finals! We've seen a villain exposed and defeated, we've seen a powerhouse lose the use of her arms."

Some members of the crowd winced at the sound of that second part as the wasp added, "We've seen a suit of armour shattered, a vampire defeated by water, a machine's forearms blown to bits and so much more! But I am willing to bet that none of these events can possibly compare to what is going to happen today as not only is this the final match, it's between Machoke and Lucario, the sons of Machamp and Riolu!"

Beedrill then directed everyone's attention to the two legends in question in the crowd as they looked around, their arms folded. The crowd went wild at the sight of them while the humans sitting close to them bowed their heads, Machoke's look of confusion turning to extreme happiness as he cupped his hands together and waved them over his head, Riolu rolling his eyes and simply keeping his serious look.

"But of course, they are not the only celebrities here," Beedrill stated, "as our special judges are also big-time legends. Combusken, for example, was Machamp's tag-team partner in the very first tag team tournament and has defeated many powerful enemies. She was also third place in the twenty-first Hero Olympics, having won the spot in the tie-breaker match against Greninja!" the crowd going wild as their attention was soon directed toward a jumbotron TV

On the screen was footage of that very match, Greninja using her Tongue Noose to strangle Combusken only for the chicken to grab hold of the tongue, pulling the frog close and using Fire Peck to strike her in the forehead, knocking her unconscious. The crowd cheered at the sight of this, Combusken grinning with pride.

"Speaking of which, Greninja's no pushover despite losing third place to Combusken," Beedrill added, "From the start, she displayed a great deal of power, having defeated many foes as well. Though the most memorable moment in the Hero Olympics to this day was her very first match when she hospitalized the mighty Skytha!"

Scizor, who was sitting in the middle row, gritted her teeth. Skytha was the name of her mother, and she initially had an extreme grudge against Greninja, and the reason was very clear when everyone what was on screen.

Skytha had a look similar to Scizor's only her pincers were square-shaped and serrated, with the lower halves being white as opposed to red, the eye-like circles being blue. She also wore a black three-pointed crest on her face and had black shoulders and thighs.

In the footage shown, Greninja was sitting on the insect's back and bending her knees with a camel clutch. Skytha had tried her best to escape but could not as her backbone ended up breaking, the insect's eyes widening as she passed out.

Scizor took a deep breath, trying not to feel angered by this moment anymore. Though it was difficult as not only was the scene painful enough to watch but Skytha had actually died shortly after being escorted to the hospital. She saw Greninja as an enemy after that before losing to her in the quarter-finals of the twenty-second Hero Olympics in which Greninja apologized, admitting that she never had any intention of killing her mother.

"And Greninja's partner, Bouffalant, is also here," Beedrill stated, "and needless to say, he is certainly one worth talking about. Once a former villain, but changed when Machoke was the first to ever defeat him, Bouffalant has a stellar reputation, having defeated many with his amazing strength."

The crowd cheered as the wasp added, "And Blastoise here may not have a great track record, but her matches are still legendary for how close they were. The world still hasn't forgotten her first win when she defeated the ferocious Grovyle in a very intense match."

Everyone was rather impressed while watching footage of the tortoise shooting a burst of water from the guns on her shoulders into the face of a lizard. After that, she proceeded to run over to Grovyle, wrapping her arms around him and finishing him off with a fierce powerbomb.

"Anyway, that's enough about the legends," Beedrill said, "You're all here to see the final match, and it will begin as soon as Nori introduces our fighters!" Nori nodding with a big grin on her face, the crowd getting even more restless now.

"Without further ado, let's get this started!" Nori exclaimed as the crowd went wild, Reika gulping and hoping that Machoke's entrance would not be too stupid.

"In the red corner is Japan's representative!" Nori stated, "He has an incredible track record and has defeated some of the mightiest of villains thrown at him! He even prevented one villain from tarnishing the Olympics! Despite odds constantly being stacked against him, he always finds a way to come out on top! Introducing Machoke!"

The crowd was silent as, like Reika, they were expecting a dumb entrance. However, everyone was staring in shock when the boy approached the ring wearing the bands that Machamp had given him. He had a serious look on his face, no big set-ups or floats or anything along those lines. The only thing that did stand out was a girl no one had ever seen before joining him in walking toward the ring.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," Nori uttered, her eyes wide with shock, "Not only is Machoke actually looking serious, but he's wearing the exact same outfit his father wore when he defeated Groudon many years ago!" Machamp grinning as Riolu sighed, "You gave those to him before the match, didn't you?" the man nodding and replying, "I can't believe it, but he looks better with that stuff than I did back in the day."

Aipom's eyes sparkled as she thought, 'Wow, he's really taking this seriously!' Scrafty saying, "Wow, that headband is awesome," Bisharp nodding and adding, "Yes, he looks quite dignified today."

Gardevoir squealed before exclaiming, "MACHOKE, YOU LOOK SO COOL!" the boy smiling and giving a light wave before turning his attention back to the ring, Meisai saying, "Good, a little acknowledgement is fine, but don't let it distract you."

"Wow, he really means business," Blaziken said, Gallade shouting, "You rule, Machoke!" Hitmonchan exclaiming, "You'll wipe the floor with Lucario for sure!"

And of course everyone else was equally impressed, the Japanese fans going wild while Lopunny had a pair of pom-poms out, giving Machoke a motivational cheer while Scyther and Heracross simply gave him thumbs up. Needless to say, the boy had made quite the impression, but would this really be enough?

"Say, who's that with him, anyway?" Weedle asked as Beedrill held up the microphone, announcing, "For those wondering, Machoke has found a substitute for Aipom who will act as his adviser for this match. Her name is Meisai," the audience nodding in understanding as Clauncher had an odd look on her face, thinking, 'That Meisai's hair looks familiar.'

"Have you ever met someone named Meisai?" Reika asked as Blaziken shrugged, replying, "Never seen her before in my life," Gardevoir smiling softly and replying, "It doesn't matter. I get the feeling we can trust her," Gallade nodding and saying, "Well, that settles that."

Once the applause for Machoke had died down, Nori cleared her throat and exclaimed, "And in the blue corner is the hero representing England! A former villain, he now fights for the side of good, and thank God for that, because he is a nightmare in the ring! When the odds are stacked against him, he surprises everyone with one incredible comeback after another. He has stopped at nothing to make sure this match would happen, even going so far as to almost cripple his last opponent! Introducing Lucario!"

The British fans went wild, Meisai folding her arms as the dog walked toward the ring sporting a leather jacket and a ripped up pair of jeans. The crowd stared as he looked so intimidating right now, a murderous look in his eyes. One could only imagine how he would start things off.

However, Machoke simply folded his arms and looked at the dog with confidence, Meisai saying, "Wow, you're not freaking out or anything. I'm impressed," the girl then noticing his legs trembling as she face-palmed, the boy groaning, "I can't help it! He looks so frightening!"

After entering the ring, Lucario proceeded to hurl his jacket out of the ring along with his jeans. Sure, he had no special clothing on himself, but he still looked more than ready for business. Needless to say, this would not be an easy fight.

Beedrill noticed both seemed ready as he said, "I will give each fighter a minute to warm up, then we can begin," Meisai signalling Machoke to bring his head closer to her as he did so, the girl whispering, "As you know, Lucario has great speed and strength, so for the first little while, try to get him to tire himself out. No matter what happens, you will avoid every single more he throws at you. No counterattacks, just dodge."

Machoke nodded as Blaziken blinked, saying, "He's really putting all of his faith in her. She must really be something to match up to Aipom."

And on that note, Beedrill exclaimed, "Without further ado, let the match begin!" the crowd getting pumped up as he rang the bell. Lucario wasted no time heading toward Machoke, but something was off. Lucario was not moving quickly but rather slowly. But why?

Whatever the case, Machoke had to remember Meisai's advice. As such, he waited for the dog to get close before running to the right, keeping his distance. Lucario turned to him with a scowl as the audience stared in silence.

"What was that?" Gallade asked, "Lucario was leaving himself wide open. Machoke should have hit him instead," Blaziken shrugging and replying, "He may have just been intimidated. Lucario is a scary opponent."

Lucario picked up the pace a bit, sending his palm toward the boy as he once again dodged to the right just in time to avoid the move. The dog remained calm and simply headed toward Machoke again, the same thing happening.

At that moment, most of the crowd started booing as one member spat, "WHAT IS THIS!?" another barking, "THIS IS A RIPOFF! SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!" Meisai gritted her teeth under her mask and thinking, 'Please, for the love of God, don't let them get to you.'

However, it seemed her fears were uncalled for as Machoke remarked, "I don't care what you say! I'm taking Meisai's advice!" when suddenly, he noticed the Japanese fans were also booing him. Now the girl was even more worried than before as one of them spat, "They're right! God, this is so lame!" another adding, "This is the clown representing us!?"

Machoke gritted his teeth thinking, 'Dammit, they might be right. If this was Aipom, she would tell me to at least counterattack. I thought Meisai would make for a legitimate substitute, but she seems to timid and scared.'

Noticing Lucario closing in on him, Machoke took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Meisai, but they're right. If I don't attack, I'll never win this match!" Meisai's eyes widening as she snapped, "NO, MACHOKE, DON'T!" the boy lifting up his leg and sending a hard kick into Lucario's face, the dog's eyes widening as Machoke sent another kick to his midsection, sending him back, the dog stumbling along the mat.

The Japanese fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "And with that, Machoke gets an early lead with two impressive kicks!" Machoke taking a deep breath and saying, "I don't know why you thought that wouldn't work. It seems to have had a descent effect."

Meisai shook her head and remarked, "Don't be so sure," the boy then noticing Lucario quickly rise back to his feet, a serious look in his eyes as he said, "Don't expect that to work a second time."

However, Machoke noticed Lucario starting to falter as he smirked, rushing at him as Meisai gritted her teeth, barking, "NO, HE'S FAKING IT!" but it was too late as the boy sent a roundhouse toward Lucario's cheek.

Unfortunately, Meisai's words were correct as the dog proceeded to lift up arm up with the wrist spike pointed outward, Machoke's ankle running hard into it. As the spike pierced his flesh, the boy cried out in pain, Lucario taking full advantage of this and lifting him up above his head, slamming his back hard against the mat before removing his spike.

The crowd gasped as Nori said, "And as soon as that advantage came, it seems to have left Machoke as Lucario has already managed to draw blood."

"I don't know how, but Meisai knew exactly what was gonna happen," Blaziken said, Gallade nodding and sighing, "Machoke really should have listened to her. I know the crowd was egging him on, but even so," Hitmonchan laughing nervously and adding, "To be fair, we weren't exactly clear on what he was doing either."

"So, Machoke, will you listen to me?" Meisai asked as Machoke got up, grunting, "Not if your strategy involves me running away like a sissy! I'm sorry, Meisai, I'm grateful for all the training, but the best defence is a good offence! Everyone knows that!"

Meisai fumed and folded her arms, retorting, "Fine! Lose for all I care!" the girl sitting cross-legged on the grass and folding her arms. She could not believe how stubborn Machoke was being. After all, he had a similar issue when facing Bisharp. He had started to lose badly when he stopped listening to Aipom, so why was he repeating that same mistake?

Whatever the case, the boy was not going to let up as he noticed Lucario charging at him now, the boy readying himself. Instead of dodging, he was going to counter this time. Lucario would not see that coming, right?

Just as the dog sent a palm punch toward Machoke, the boy threw his arms forward, grabbing onto his arm. However, Lucario simply provided additional force, keeping up his momentum and slamming his palm hard into the boy's face.

The British fans went wild as Machoke backed up a bit, still refusing to let this get him down. Meisai continued to sit with her arms folded, a look of spite under her mask. She wanted to give him advice to help him win, but Machoke was being so stubborn right now.

And to make matters worse, Lucario was now willing to take even more advantage of the boy as his paw had a blue aura around it, the dog shouting, "FORCE PALM!" sending his paw toward Machoke's gut. Once again, the boy attempted to counter only to end up being hit hard in that very spot, his eyes widening as he coughed up blood, backing up toward the ropes and breathing heavily.

Meisai simply glared at him thinking, 'Finish him off, Lucario. Have your sweet revenge. I don't even care anymore!' Clauncher watching this with concern. She did not know whether to be happy about this or not. Again, Lucario may have been her friend, but a part of her wanted Machoke to win.

Reika was also concerned as she gritted her teeth, barking, "HEY, MACHOKE, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" the boy turning to her, his eyes widening as she added, "MEISAI'S ADVICE HAS BEEN RIGHT! THE ONLY REASON YOU'VE BEEN TAKING IN A BEATING SO FAR IS BECAUSE YOU REFUSE TO FOLLOW IT!"

Meisai turned to her, trying to hold back tears of joy while thinking, 'Thank God. One of them actually gets it,' Machoke twitching as Gardevoir nodded, adding, "She's right, Machoke. I can tell when someone is really worth trusting, and Meisai is definitely someone you'll want to listen to, so don't ignore her."

Machoke blinked, turning toward the girl, Meisai going back to pouting and folding her arms, glaring at him while saying nothing. Machamp simply glanced at his son, hoping the boy would make the right decision. Even with the words of his friends, it was still his choice to make.

All the while, Lucario was about to take advantage of the fact that Machoke's back was now turned to him, but a part of him did not feel like moving in for the attack. It was something about this Meisai girl. He had no idea what it was, but just looking at her eyes gave him an awkward feeling.

Machoke's friends stared at him as Blaziken grumbled, "Come on, you're not this stupid," Machoke taking a deep breath and saying, "I'm sorry, Meisai," the boy bowing his head and adding, "I should have been listening to you from the start. If you have any advice to give me, I will gladly take it."

No one could see it, but Meisai was smiling under her mask. With that, the girl put on a more serious look and got up, saying, "It's okay, I forgive you. You're just not used to having someone else as your adviser. But if you decide to go against my wishes again, I will not be so forgiving, so consider this your last chance."

The boy panicked, trembling for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and exclaiming, "Okay, okay, I'll follow you! Just please don't stop with the good advice!"

Meisai was resisting the urge to chuckle in response to this as she said, "Alright, luckily for you, it's still very early in the match. Best of all, that stab to your ankle doesn't seem to be taking too much of a toll on you. It is definitely possible to make up for your blunder."

Unfortunately, before she could continue, Lucario had finally snapped out of his trance, thinking, 'God, what came over me just now?' the dog racing toward Machoke as he spat, "WHAT DO I DO!?" Meisai snapping, "HUG YOURSELF, RIGHT NOW!" the boy retorting, "WHAT!?" before taking a hard karate chop to the face.

The quickly quickly sprinted away from Lucario before the dog could do more, Meisai sighing, "You promised you'd follow my advice," Machoke sighing, "Sorry, it's just, that sounded so weird," Lucario saying, "If you keep ignoring me, you're gonna take in far worse pain than you have so far."

With that, the dog raced toward him again, this time readying another Force Palm as Meisai said, "Hug yourself this time," Machoke blinking and asking, "You mean like this?" before wrapping his arms around himself like a person pretending to make out with someone.

"Yes, now hold that pose," Meisai stated as Machoke closed his eyes, Machoke sending his palm forward. However, all went silent when Machoke slowly opened his eyes, noticing the palm pressed up against his arms. Yes strangely enough, the boy had felt no pain from it. Not even his arms had taken in pain, and this was one of Lucario's strongest techniques.

In the hospital, Aipom and the others had just witnessed this as Scrafty asked, "What just happened?" Bisharp replying, "Even I am feeling rather stumped by this sudden turn of events."

However, Aipom had a big smile on her face as she said, "I can't believe it. I've heard stories of this technique, but I've heard if takes a long time for someone in Machoke's family to learn it. Yet somehow, Meisai taught it to him in a matter of seconds."

"Are ya gonna tell us more than that?" Scrafty asked as Aipom nodded, replying, "That's not just any ordinary defensive tactic. That's called the Mach Cover, and only members of the Mach family can use it. They say it was developed by a warrior by the name of Mapunch who used it to survive against an army of five-hundred soldiers. He kept up the position for five days and five nights until they finally gave up. It's the greatest defence the family could ever have."

"But how do you supposed Miss Meisai knew about it?" Bisharp asked as Aipom shrugged, replying, "I have no idea. Even I don't completely understand how the technique works."

All the while, the audience was in shock as Nori said, "I don't know how a simple folding of arms managed to protect Machoke so well, but whatever the case, he has just taken in Force Palm without taking in any pain whatsoever!" Lucario fuming and sending a series of palm punches toward Machoke, the Mach Cover doing its job and cushioning the blows entirely.

'Not many remember this technique,' Meisai thought, 'however, when not training Machoke, I spent my time studying the Mach family history and came across this gem of a technique last night. It was a long shot to have him use it without any past experience, but it seems he was able to master it.'

Machamp all the while was cheering wildly, exclaiming, "That's my boy! I couldn't use that move until I was twenty-two!" Riolu nodding and saying, "Oh yes, you used that against Groudon. I remember."

Gallade simply blinked and said, "I've used defensive tactics like that before. What makes this one so different?" Gardevoir replying, "Machoke's muscles," the others turning as the girl added, "I saw all of the muscles in his body expand when he wrapped his arms around himself."

This seemed so as Lucario decided to change tactics and attack Machoke's face only to end up with the same results. This Mach Cover was proving to be a major nuisance for him and even kicks aimed at Machoke's shin seemed to have no effect.

After a while, Meisai noticed Lucario starting to breathe more heavily than before as she stated, "Machoke, he's getting tired. It's time to go on the offensive," Machoke smirking and replying, "That's more like it!" Lucario sending another palm punch toward the boy as he threw his arms outward, smacking the incoming palm to the side. After that, he proceeded to send a palm punch of his own into Lucario's face before grabbing hold of the dog's arm, twisting it just enough to have Lucario fall on his back.

The crowd went wild as Lucario slowly rose to his feet only for Machoke to back up toward the ropes, pushing back and bouncing off of them, sending both his feet into the spot just above Lucario's chest spike. This cause the dog to fly into the turnbuckle while the crowd cheered even louder.

"WOW, WHAT AN AMAZING COMEBACK!" Nori exclaimed, "It seemed like Machoke was doomed, but thanks to that weird defensive technique earlier, he now has the upper hand!" Reika grinning and saying, "That Meisai is a miracle worker," Blaziken holding her fist forward and replying, "No kidding!"

Machoke still looked fully energized as he grinned, saying, "Come on, Lucario, I know you're not done yet," his confidence turning to fear when he noticed a look of rage in the dog's eyes. This was definitely not the Lucario he knew, the dog shaking the pain off of his head and growling, "So you had something up your sleeve! Big deal! It'll take a lot more than that to take me down!"


	63. Chapter 63

Despite Machoke having the upper hand, Lucario looked far from finished. It was as if all the pain dealt earlier meant nothing to him as he seemed unfazed and ready for more. However, while Machoke looked terrified, Meisai was calm right now.

"Don't look so surprised," the girl said, "You said it yourself. It was obvious he wasn't done yet," the boy nodding and replying, "Yeah, he still scares me though," Meisai thinking, 'Yeah, he scares me too.'

However, while Lucario may have been up with his confidence having not lowered in the slightest, he was still worried about the Mach Cover technique. Clearly it was more effective than it actually looked and there was no doubt Machoke would likely use it again. But what was something he could do?

His eyes widened as he suddenly realized something that could be done, the dog racing toward Machoke as Meisai nodded, saying, "You know what to do," Machoke replying, "Right," before wrapping his arms around himself, his muscles once again expanding all around. Just like before, he was going to wait for Lucario to exhaust himself before attacking.

However, just as everyone was expecting the dog to attack Machoke directly, he instead ran behind him. Everyone stared in confusion as Lucario proceeded to wrap his arms around the boy's neck, holding tight as everyone stared in silence.

"Well, after direct attacks failed, it seems Lucario is going for internal damage with a sleeper hold," Nori stated as Meisai thought, 'Good luck, but the Mach Cover also prevents him from taking damage from submission holds,' Machoke confirming this as he blinked and asked, "I'm sorry, is this actually supposed to be hurting me right now?"

Lucario's eyes went wide as Meisai exclaimed, "NOW, WHILE HIS GUARD IS DROPPED!" Machoke smirking and breaking formation, latching his arms around Lucario's. With that, he leaned forward, hurling the dog over his head and onto his back, the crowd going wild as the boy proceeded to wrap his arms around himself again.

'Dammit,' Lucario thought, 'What am I going to do? Submission holds don't work, punches and kicks don't work,' his eyes then going wide as he thought, 'But wait, there is something even the strongest of skin can't stand up to. It's perfect!'

Meisai did not like the look in Lucario's eyes as she said, "Careful, Machoke. He might have something else planned," the boy then asking, "Just in case he does come up with something, does the Mach Cover have a weakness?" the girl replying, "It it does have one, it hasn't yet been discovered," Machoke groaning, "So there's a possibility there might be one?" Meisai biting her lip under her mask, now worried that might just be the case.

Lucario seemed to feel he had found one as he raced toward Machoke, readying his arms. The boy smirked and thought, 'Sweet! He's going back to what he was going before!' his eyes widening when the dog proceeded to turn his hand around, pointing his wrist spikes forward. The crowd gasped as Lucario proceeded to jab them into Machoke's arms, the spikes piercing his flesh.

Machoke cried out in pain, Meisai's eyes widening with shock. How had she not taken that into consideration? And it did not end there as Lucario proceeded to lift the boy up, leaning backward and planting his back hard against the mat, this seeming to deal pain as well despite him not yet having broken formation.

Machoke quickly rolled away when the spikes were removed, terror in his eyes when he got back up, his arms now bleeding as Reika winced, uttering, "That looked horrible!" Nori stating, "Well, it seems Lucario has found a weakness to Machoke's defensive technique."

"Oh no," Reika uttered, Gardevoir whimpering and squeaking, "It failed! And he was doing so well!" Blaziken replying, "I'd be equally worried about Meisai, if I were you. She looks just as shocked as we do."

Machoke was trembling now as Lucario stated, "I'll admit, that defensive technique of yours is impressive, but it's not without its flaws. While it is an ideal defence against full-frontal attacks and submission holds, all it involves you doing is expanding your muscle size. That's very easy to exploit. For instance, the heaviest of bodies can still take in pain from making fast contact with the floor. Also, the mightiest of flesh can easily be pierced by a sharp blade."

Meisai trembled and thought, 'It's true. That's all common knowledge. How could I overlook something like that?' Machamp all the while thinking, 'Geez, if it was that simple, why did it take so long for someone to come up with that?'

Now Machoke's confidence had left him for good as he had no other ideas. The Mach Cover was a great tactic and with it having been defeated, how could he possibly counter Lucario's attacks? He could try dodging, but at this point, even Meisai felt it might be too late to trick him with such a tactic.

The girl was now rubbing her chin as Aipom watched with distress from the hospital, groaning, "Oh no! She has no idea what to do!" Bisharp replying, "Yes, you must have a solution to that, do you?" the monkey sighing, "It pains me to admit it, but even I'm not sure how to make up for that," Bisharp and Scrafty face-palming.

However, after a few seconds, Meisai took a deep breath and said, "Machoke, don't be discouraged. Even though the Mach Cover failed, you can still win this. Just remember what Lucario's biggest fault is," the boy nodding in understanding.

Yes, while Lucario had amazing skills, there was one major flaw in his fighting style and that was his tendency to stick mainly with one type of moves. Slam moves were rarely ever seen from him, so the slams he had used with his spikes were not likely to be used repeatedly. There was also the fact that Lucario refused to rely on his father's finishing moves meaning he only had two finishers to use against Machoke and the boy knew how both of them worked.

"Okay, I'm back in the zone now," the boy said with a grin, "So what would you suggest I do first?" Meisai replying, "Wait for him to attack, look for an opening and strike. I'll speak up if I feel you're about to do something wrong."

The boy nodded as Lucario raced toward him, shouting, "Let's see how you defeat me without your precious defence!" the dog sending his palm toward the boy only for Machoke to block the incoming punch with one arm, sending a hard kick into the dog's shin.

"MACHOKE, HE'S GOT YOUR ARM!" Meisai spat as the boy's eyes widened, Lucario allowing himself to fall backwards while grasping the boy's arm with both hands. The British fans were going wild as Machoke was lifted over the dog, his back slammed hard against the canvas.

'What's going on?' Meisai thought with a look of shock, 'He shouldn't have done that. That's not how he usually fights,' Riolu raising an eyebrow at this as Machamp said, "Wow, that's something you would have done."

The others winced at the sight of this as Tsuya groaned, "Oh man, Lucario saw that coming a mile away," Gallade sighing, "Machoke's dealt with worse before. I'm sure he can handle this."

Sure, the boy did recover rather quickly, but now he was at a loss of ideas. And to make matters worse, Meisai was not completely sure what he could do either. Was Lucario really starting to rely on more than his usual fighting techniques?

On the other hand, this made sense. After all, Lucario had not been himself during his matches and last week after he defeated Garchomp, he seemed to have suffered a mental breakdown. Perhaps Meisai would have a more difficult time coming up with a strategy than she first thought.

With that in mind, the girl took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Machoke, he's clearly fighting differently than I figured he would," the boy sighing, "You think?" Meisai adding, "Still, you've done a good job so far. I know you can beat him. I'll be sure to give you pointers as you go along, alright?" Machoke nodding and replying, "I hope you're right."

Lucario simply advanced toward Machoke again as the boy examined his movements. He had to find an opening. If he could at least manage that, there was still a chance he could win. The odds were stacked against him now, but he had come all this way and was not turning back.

Before he could think further, the dog proceeded to aim another palm punch toward him. However, Machoke simply dodged to the right, avoiding the move. However, Lucario had seen this coming as he sent a karate chop sideways into the boy's neck, Machoke backing up and holding onto that very spot, breathing heavily.

"Machoke just can't get that advantage back," Nori stated, "Without that defensive tactic of his, he can't seem to do a thing, especially with Lucario using a few moves we haven't seen from him before," Meisai getting really nervous now.

Feeling rather frustrated by all of this, Reika got up from her seat and snapped, "Come on, Machoke! You've dealt with so much worse over the past!" the boy turning to face her as Blaziken added, "Yeah! Where's the hero who took an axe blade to the chest and continued to fight as if it meant nothing!?" Machoke's eyes widening at the sound of this.

"Yeah, and where's the guy who got pummelled by rocks and still managed to get up!?" Gallade asked, Gardevoir nodding and squeaking, "I know you can do it, Machoke! You made me into a real hero! You can do anything!"

The boy nodded, a serious look forming in his eyes as he gritted his teeth. With that, he turned to Meisai and said, "Don't worry, Meisai, I think I'll be able to handle myself for the time being. When you see a perfect opportunity for me to follow a different strategy, just let me know, alright?" the girl smiling under her mask. Machoke was quite a bit of work but his heart was always in the right place when it really counted. Meisai was really starting to warm up to him now.

Even Clauncher felt the sudden urge to rise from her seat and shout, "YEAH, GIVE HIM HELL, MACHOKE!" Lucario shooting the lobster a glare. Even after Amanda had left, Clauncher seemed to still be on his side, and yet now even she had turned against him.

'I guess I don't have any friends left in this world,' the dog thought, 'Oh well, it's a small price to pay for vengeance on the Mach family,' the dog once again racing toward Machoke only for the boy to see something he could take advantage of.

Machoke smirked and rather than dodging to the side or trying to counter the incoming strike, he instead ducked under it. Lucario's eyes widened as the boy sent six consecutive punches into his midsection before rising up and delivering a fierce uppercut to his chin. The Japanese fans went wild as Lucario backed up, a look of shock on his face.

"Keep it up!" Meisai exclaimed, "He's distracted now!" Machoke nodding and racing toward Lucario, holding out his arm as it rammed into the dog's neck. After that he wrapped the arm around said spot but remained behind Lucario.

"You seem to really like submission holds," Machoke said with a smirk before reaching his right foot back latching it onto Lucario's ankle and pulling hard, using his arm to push up on his chin while asking, "What do you think of this one?"

The audience was even more amazed as Aipom's eyes sparkled, the monkey squealing, "Oh my god! That's Machamp's Ultimate Backbreaker! I didn't even think he knew that move!" Scrafty smirking and saying, "Yeah, ya got yourself an amazing pupil, Aipom."

Of course, Machoke's friends were happy to see him finally get the upper hand back, Meisai nodding her head in approval. She would have never been able to come up with such an incredible strategy. While she may have been knowledgeable about fighting and dodging Lucario's favourite techniques, even she did not have the creative mind that Machoke possessed.

However, Lucario's shock soon turned to an unamused look as he said, "Not bad. You actually managed to catch me off-guard even without your precious defence. But even so, this move is even more flawed than that stupid arm thing," Machoke remarking, "What the hell are you talking about!?"

"Please, it's obvious, isn't it?" the dog remarked, "You're only using one arm and one foot to pull off this move. What's more is that you've only trapped my head and ankle in place. I can easily get out of this," Machoke retorting, "Then why does my dad call it the Ultimate Backbreaker!?" Lucario saying, "I don't know. You should ask him sometime, because to me, that name is incredibly pretentious."

With that, the dog proceeded to lean his arm back, grabbing hold of Machoke's wrist and twisting it. The pain was enough for the boy to loosen his hold on the ankle as Lucario flipped his entire body over, placing his arm against Machoke's shoulder and pressing down on it, knocking him hard on his back.

'Dammit, why didn't I see those flaws?' Meisai thought, Riolu all the while turning to Machamp and asking, "Say, why did you decide to call it the Ultimate Backbreaker? Surely you saw the faults with it," Machamp sighing, "Because it was the first submission hold I ever made. I was so excited, I decided to give it the most awesome name I could think of."

As if this was not bad enough, Lucario proceeded to flip Machoke over onto his belly before climbing over his back. With that, the dog grabbed hold of his wrists and held them back, everyone knowing exactly what was coming as he proceeded to lock Machoke's legs in place. And with all his might, the dog proceeded to lift Machoke over him while rolling onto his back.

"Oh no!" Reika spat, Gallade gulping and uttering, "He's already using it," many others now scared as Lucario spat, "LONDON BRIDGE!" applying pressure to Machoke's back while bringing it closer to his chest spike.

"It's been interesting, but I think it's time I end this!" Lucario exclaimed, completely forgetting about the possibility that Machoke would have learned a way out of this, and it seemed he had when Meisai snapped, "MACHOKE, HAVE YOU ALREADY FORGOTTEN WHAT WE PRACTISED!?"

The boy's eyes widened as he grunted, "That's right!" before twisting his ankles and propping them out of Lucario's grip. The dog's eyes and mouth hung open as the boy proceeded to propel his legs over his gut before sending his feet hard into that very spot.

Lucario's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as the dog coughed up blood, Machoke leaping away from him and taking a deep breath, grinning at Meisai and giving her thumbs up, the girl returning the gesture. The crowd went wild as Machoke was on fire now. The crowd could only hope this would keep up.

'Dammit,' Lucario thought as he slowly rose back to his feet, 'Why didn't I see that coming? I even thought he might have come up with a counter for that move by now," the dog then taking a deep breath and thinking, 'It's okay, though. I have a few moves that I know he and that Meisai girl won't see coming a mile away.'

Before he could think of more, Machoke was on the offensive now as he sprinted toward the dog. Meisai was not completely sure this was a good idea, but with how the boy had been doing, she decided to put at least some faith in him. Unfortunately, Lucario saw an opportunity here as he held up a defensive stance.

When Machoke got close, the dog sent both of his palms forward only for Machoke to once again duck under him, sending another uppercut to his chin as the Japanese fans cheered, Gallade uttering, "I can't believe that worked twice," the others nodding in agreement. To make things even better, Machoke proceeded to get behind the now-distracted Lucario and reach his arms around him, hurling him high into the air and leaping up at him.

The crowd was cheering even louder now as they knew what was coming, Meisai smiling under her mask and feeling that this might just work. After all, unlike during his match with Talonflame, Machoke had made Lucario weak before trying this, so there was a chance the dog would not be able to counter it. And his odds only got higher as he proceeded to grab hold of Lucario's ankles while wrapping his legs around his arms.

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "That position, that form! He's doing it folks, the more effective variation of his family's signature move-" Machoke cutting in and shouting, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE MACH TWO!" descending toward the mat as Meisai nodded in approval.

However, Lucario had a look of confidence on his face when suddenly, the blue aura appeared once more and surrounded him. Clauncher saw this as her eyes widened, the lobster uttering, "Oh no. Not the aura. Not now."

"Did you forget who it was who taught Talonflame how to counter this move!?" Lucario asked before bending his forearms just enough to latch his hands onto Machoke's legs. He then proceeded to apply a great deal of muscle while pushing backward, applying just enough force to flip both fighters one-hundred-and-eighty degrees thus putting his opponent on the receiving end.

Machoke had a look of shock in his eyes as his head was soon slammed hard into the canvas, the British fans going wild while everyone else stared with concern. And that was a good point. If simply applying more muscle could counter the original version of the move, what was stopping it from working against this updated version?

Lucario released his hold and backed up, folding his arms and saying, "I'm amazed you'd even try that against me. I didn't think you were that stupid," Meisai trembling and thinking, 'How did I not see that coming?' Machoke twitching and slowly rising to his feet but looking rather beat up after taking in such a move.

"Alright, I admit it, that was a bad move on my part," the boy uttered, "but this means nothing! I can still beat you!"

With that, Machoke ran at Lucario again, the dog sending a karate chop his way only for the boy to grab his arm. Unlike before, he did not give the dog time to counter as he latched his other arm around the shoulder, running Lucario back-first into the turnbuckle. The Japanese fans were cheering again as the boy leapt high above the ring, flipping Lucario over and wrapping his arms and legs around his torso, pointing his head toward the canvas.

The crowd was even more excited now as Nori exclaimed, "Well, after that setback, Machoke is back in the game with his Ultimate Driver! Surely Lucario can't find a way around this!" Meisai gulping and thinking, 'He probably has already,' Gardevoir squeaking, "I hope it works this time!"

However, while Machoke descended toward the mat, Lucario simply grabbed onto his ankles and sighed, "Don't make me laugh. This move is even easier to counter than your precious Muscle Tombstone!" even staring in shock as the dog also latched his ankles onto Machoke's neck, once again applying enough pressure to flip him over.

However, to add insult to injury, Lucario released his hold on Machoke before flipping the boy around so he was now facing his back before wrapping his arms around him. Meisai's eyes widened, many members of the audience wincing as well as Lucario had just pierced the boy's back with his chest spike. Up until his match with Garchomp, he had only used that for his London Bridge, never feeling the need to use as a weapon as any given time. However, as was clear, Lucario was not completely himself right now.

However, when he wrapped his arms around Machoke's waist and his legs around his neck, the audience was even more surprised as he spat, "CANINE HUG SLAM!" sending Machoke's head hard into the mat, the boy's eyes going wide as he coughed up blood, Lucario releasing his hold along with the spike and allowing the boy to collapse.

"I can't believe what I've just seen!" Nori exclaimed, Meisai also staring in absolute shock as the woman continued, "Not only did Lucario counter Machoke's Ultimate Driver but he also used his father's very first signature move and one of his favourites!"

Riolu's eyes were also wide as Machamp said, "Wow, with that spike, his is more effective than yours," the older dog simply watching in stunned silence.

Meisai all the while was trembling as she thought, 'No, this wasn't supposed to happen. Lucario would never rely on his moves. This makes no sense. What can I say?'

"As you can see, I am a different fighter today," Lucario said, folding his arms with a smug grin on his face, "Admittedly, you've done very well to even get this far, Machoke, but not even you can possibly hope to defeat me."

And with that, things were looking really bad as Machoke was barely able to move right now. What else did Lucario have in store?


	64. Chapter 64

Well, all seemed lost as Beedrill noticed Machoke barely moving at all, turning to his father. Weedle no longer had anything against the boy, but even so, rules were rules, so he knew there was no need to delay the ten count. As such, Beedrill started counting down as everyone stared in stunned silence.

Was it really over? Had that really been the end of it? There was just no way. Machoke had a knack for getting up from heavy beatings and yet this one somehow seemed worse than all the others.

"It's a pity, really," Lucario said with a sigh, "I had so much more that I wanted to use," Beedrill suddenly stopping the count when Machoke slowly rose to his feet, coughing up blood and taking many deep breaths, uttering, "No. You haven't won yet. I can still take you."

Meisai took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Machoke, I have to admit, I was unprepared for that. Clearly Lucario is taking drastic measures," the boy nodding and replying, "Yeah, but it's okay because I know I'll win."

All the while, the Japanese fans along with Machoke's friends were cheering, Reika exclaiming, "ALRIGHT, MACHOKE, SHOW HIM WHAT YOU CAN DO!" Blaziken barking, "YEAH, IT'S NOT OVER YET! I KNOW YOU CAN WIN THIS!"

"Damn straight he can!" came a male voice from the crowd, many turning to see Barbaracle standing there with all four of his arms folded, the creature exclaiming, "Come on, Machoke, I beat you around with my rocks and you got up every time! I sent you into the drink and you survived! Don't tell me a couple of fancy moves are enough to take you down!"

Machoke's eyes widened as Gardevoir squeaked, "Wow, Barbaracle's come to cheer him on!" Blaziken nodding and replying, "He seems to have a knack for befriending his enemies, doesn't he?"

People were not quite as surprised, though, when Golduck stood up from a seat with her homemade T-shirt with Machoke's face on it shouting, "You rule, Machoke! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!" Lucario rather annoyed when he noticed Chung-Ho, Jae and Hana among the crowd, all raising their fists and shouting, "GO, MACHOKE!" Hana adding in a surprisingly loud tone, "Ninetales wants to let you know you have her full support!" Machoke's eyes sparkling as a big open-mouth smile formed on his face.

"Hey, kid!" came a deeper voice from the crowd as Machoke turned and saw Talonflame standing there, the falcon smirking as Lucario glared at him, asking, "What are you doing out of prison!?" Talonflame remarking, "Relax, I merely came to give my support," Machoke blinking and asking, "Wait, are you talking about me?" Talonflame nodding and remarking, "Yeah, I am! Listen, kid, anyone who beats me is not allowed to lose, got it!?"

"I agree entirely, hermano!" came another voice from the crowd as Machoke grinned, exclaiming, "I know who that is!" turning his attention toward Hawlucha, the parrot standing tall and proud with his arms by his hips as he exclaimed, "Show Lucario the spirit and drive you used to defeat me!" Machoke nodding with a look of confidence on his face, Meisai thinking, 'He really is something else, that Machoke.'

Naturally, Heracross, Lopunny and Scyther were also giving him their full support as the boy took a deep breath, smirking and saying, "That's right, Lucario, I'm not going to let myself lose," the dog gritting his teeth, feeling rather annoyed now that no one supported him right now. Clauncher had turned on him, Amanda was nowhere to be seen and none of his earlier opponents in the Olympics had any respect for him. He was truly fighting this battle alone.

Even so, this hardly mattered to him. He did not need others to help him win and as such, he rushed toward Machoke, once again sending his arms forward. However, Machoke simply lifted up his own arms, wrapping them around Lucario's shoulders as the dog's eyes widened, the boy leaning backward and lifting him up over his head before planting his back hard against the mat.

The crowd went wild as the boy proceeded to lift Lucario up by his ankles, swinging him around before sending his head hard into the turnbuckle. The crowd was once again feeling confident in Machoke as he had once again gotten the upper hand.

Meisai grinned and exclaimed, "Good job, Machoke!" the boy nodding and rushing toward Lucario again while the dog was distracted. However, there was no way Lucario was just going to let him get in another hit and when Machoke was close enough, the dog grabbed onto the ropes and propelled himself up, sending both his feet hard into the boy's chest.

Machoke's eyes widened as Lucario proceeded to run over to his side, reaching his arms around him and leaping high into the air, everyone staring in shock. Most people knew exactly what was coming, Meisai wincing as she could not believe he was going to use another one of Riolu's techniques.

Once high enough, Lucario leaned backward, aiming Machoke's skull toward the mat and shouting, "HALF-MOON PRESS!" planting his head hard into the canvas. The British fans once again cheered as Machoke took in great pain from this. Even so, he was not going to let himself go down yet as he slowly recovered, but after receiving two of Riolu's best moves, he was starting to feel weak.

However, his friends simply cheered for him some more, Gardevoir squealing, "Come on, Machoke, you're doing great!" the boy's strength seeming to return as he took a deep breath, glaring at Lucario and holding up a defensive stance. Meisai could not help but be impressed by this display, but even so, would this confidence be enough?

"We have seen so many unexpected events in this match," Nori said, "First, Machoke overpowers the London Bridge then his Ultimate Driver and Muscle Tombstone are both beaten! Not only that, but Lucario has used two of his father's signature moves, Canine Hug Slam and Half-Moon Press! Considering Machoke is yet to land a finishing move of his own, Lucario might very well have the advantage here!"

'That's how it seems,' the dog thought, 'but I have to remember, my father had the upper hand when he fought Machamp back in the day. But even with the advantage, he still lost. I'm not going to let Machoke get that kind of miracle against me!'

However, he would certainly need to act fast as Machoke was once again headed toward him. The dog attempted to strike back only for the boy to once again dodge to the side. However, Lucario saw this coming as he sent a karate chop toward his face. Unfortunately for him, Machoke saw this coming as he grabbed hold of the dog's wrist, not giving him a chance to counter as he lifted Lucario sideways over his shoulder and planted the side of his head into the canvas.

The Japanese fans once again cheered as Machoke proceeded to lift Lucario up by his legs. But rather than flinging him into the turnbuckle again, he instead threw the dog over his head and slammed his back hard against the mat.

"ALRIGHT, YOU CAN DO IT!" Reika exclaimed, the others joining in as Gardevoir squealed, "YOU ROCK!"

However, Lucario was not going to let this go as he quickly wrapped his ankles around Machoke's. The boy blinked in confusion as the dog placed his palms against the mat and used them to propel himself high above the ring, causing Machoke to fall forward before flying into the air along with him.

Once high enough, Lucario lean forward and spun his body vertically like a wheel before shouting, "FULL MOON TOSS!" releasing his hold after a while and sending Machoke back-first into the mat, the boy coughing up more blood.

The British fans went wild as Meisai twitched, Nori shouting, "And as if those first two moves weren't enough, Lucario has now used a third finishing move from Riolu's arsenal, the Full Moon Toss! This was one of the most difficult moves for Riolu to get right and yet Lucario's learned it in no time flat!"

Machoke was having a bit more trouble getting up this time as he righted himself into a sitting position, breathing heavily while Meisai had now idea what to say to this. It was just as Nori said. Full Moon Toss was a really difficult move to pull off, so for Lucario to get it down so easily was a huge shocker, and needless to say, Riolu was impressed.

"I gotta get there and give him advice!" Aipom screeched when she saw this on the hospital TV, "I actually knew how Machoke could have escaped from that!" Bisharp remarking, "Calm down, Aipom! You are in no condition to be moving!" Scrafty nodding and adding, "Yeah, let us take ya there!"

The monkey's eyes went wide as Bisharp nodded, bowing his head and stating, "It would be our pleasure to escort you to the ring post haste," Aipom letting down light tears with a big smile on her face, the monkey nodding and saying, "Thank you."

While Machoke lay there, Beedrill once again started the count as Lucario said, "Good, now stay there," most of the crowd watching in silence as Talonflame gritted his teeth, barking, "HEY, GET UP RIGHT NOW, YOU BASTARD!" Hawlucha exclaiming, "SI! YOU CAN DO IT!" Scyther raising her fist in the air chanting, "Machoke! Machoke!" Heracross and Lopunny quickly joining in.

Soon enough, more and more members of the crowd got up and started chanting the boy's name as Beedrill reached eight. But just as he was about to count to nine, Machoke's eyes widened as he quickly propelled himself back to his feet, breathing heavily and saying, "Right, I can't give up now."

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "And Machoke has made another miraculous recovery!" Lucario gritting his teeth as he grunted, "You should have stayed down! I've seen everything you can do! There's no way you can hope to beat me!"

"Damn, that arrogance of his is getting on my nerves," Clauncher said with a look of anger, "I know Lucario's better than this. I don't know what's happening, but Machoke's the only one who can snap him out of it!"

"You know, Lucario," Machoke said with a smirk, "you're not the only one who can pick up on the finishing moves of others. If my moves won't work on you, maybe some you haven't studied will."

Everyone stared in confusion as Meisai blinked, saying, "Using other people's signature moves to catch him off-guard. That's brilliant," Machoke proceeded to fly toward the dog with his arm out, stating, "I'll admit, I can't get it quite like the original, but I'm sure I can make due with it!"

"Is he using what I think he is?" Gallade asked, his jaw dropped as Gardevoir flashed a big toothy grin as she squealed, "OH MY GOD, HE IS!" Lucario too shocked to react as Machoke sent his arm hard into the dog's neck, shouting, "MOON HOOK!" knocking him hard onto his back as the crowd went wild.

Gardevoir clapped excitedly and squealed, "YOU MAY NOT THINK THAT WAS AS GOOD AS MINE, BUT I THOUGHT THAT WAS PERFECT!" Reika adding, "YEAH, PUT HIM IN HIS PLACE!" the Japanese fans going wild as Machoke took a deep breath, saying, "Well, I've seen the move used enough times to get it down."

Lucario groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, getting up and shaking the pain off before shouting, "So what!? That's not even a family technique!" Machoke remarking, "There's no harm in borrowing other people's techniques as long as they work, and I'm gonna use another one!" the boy grabbing hold of the dog's ears when he got close enough, everyone staring in shock as he proceeded to propel himself over Lucario's back.

With that, the boy sent his feet hard into the back of his neck shouting, "BLAZE KICK!" Lucario falling flat on his face while Blaziken whistled in admiration and exclaimed, "Even without the power of fire, my finishers still rule! Use that as many times as you want!"

"And finally, one that I'll admit probably won't be that impressive in my hands but it still effective," the boy leaping at Lucario just as the dog got up, his eyes widening as Machoke swung his arms downward in an X formation shouting, "PSYCHO CUT!" striking his opponent hard in the chest as the dog coughed up blood, backing away and breathing heavily.

The crowd continued to cheer wildly as Machoke sighed, "They may not be family originals and they might not be on the level of the versions used by their owners, but as I said in my match with Bisharp, it's good to seek help from others when you're stuck," Tsuya turning to Reika and saying, "You know, I take back what I said about Machoke. He's awesome!" Cici whispering, "Don't bother. She's no longer interested in him."

Tsuya shrugged and decided to put all of her focus on the match as Lucario gritted his teeth. He could not believe what had just happened. Not only have Machoke struck him with three very powerful techniques, but these moves were not his own. The dog had trained himself to counter every one of Machoke's signature moves but had not even thought about those of his friends. And one could only imagine what other moves Machoke had learned.

However, just as it looked like Lucario was going to strike back, he started to falter, the crowd gasping as Nori stated, "It seems after that last move, Lucario's become incredibly weak," Machoke grinning and thinking, 'Yes! This is the perfect chance!' his grin replaced by a confused look when he noticed Meisai had not yet spoken the magic word.

He remembered her advice perfectly. He would only use Sunset Slam at the sound of the word 'Daybreak'. But why was the girl not saying it? Lucario was in the perfect state to fall victim to it.

However, Meisai did not seem to think so. While no one else could see it, she saw the blue aura appear again, this time stronger than before. There was no doubt in her mind. Lucario was playing possum.

Unfortunately, Machoke did not seem to realize this as he thought, 'Good lord, she was the one who came up with the codeword and she's already forgotten it! Guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands again!'

With that, Machoke raced toward the dog while the Japanese fans and his friends cheered wildly. Unfortunately, Meisai had not figured out what he was trying to do until the boy grabbed hold of Lucario's shoulders, allowing himself to fall on his back before planting his foot hard against the dog's gut, sending him high above the ring.

The crowd was even more excited now as Nori exclaimed, "I think we all know what's coming now!" Meisai's eyes widening as she spat, "WAIT, MACHOKE, IT'S STILL TOO EARLY!" the boy unfortunately too caught up in the moment to listen as he leapt onto the ropes and propelled himself off of them, rolling up into a ball and heading straight for Lucario's back.

"LUCARIO'S FINISHED NOW!" Reika exclaimed as Blaziken shouted, "YEAH, MACHOKE, DO IT!" Gardevoir and Cici, on the other hand, looking uncomfortable. They could see how Meisai had reacted and knew this would not end well.

Unfortunately, it was too late as Machoke got close enough. But just as he was about to run into Lucario's back, the dog leaned forward and threw his arms and legs back, the area going silent as those very parts latched onto Machoke, the boy's eyes widening as he returned to his usual stared with Lucario still holding onto him.

With that, both descended toward the mat with Machoke's skull facing the canvas, the boy hitting it hard as he coughed up more blood, the crowd gasping. Meisai winced, closing her eyes as she knew it was too late. He had used his Sunset Slam when Lucario was still strong enough to counter.

"What just happened?" Gallade asked, Hitmonchan uttering, "The Sunset Slam just failed," Blaziken gritting her teeth and growling, "Dammit, Lucario was ready for every one of his finishing moves!"

"Nein," Scyther uttered, "It can't be," Talonflame gritting his teeth and grunting, "Damn that Lucario! I've been trying to find a way around that move since I was sent to prison and he discovers one first!" Golduck and Barbaracle now scared.

"The poor lad," Heracross uttered, "All of his best techniques, defeated," Lopunny biting her lip and crying, "Machoke! You can still move, right!?"

Reika nodded and exclaimed, "COME ON, MACHOKE, GET UP! YOU CAN STILL WIN!" Cici and Tsuya getting up and cheering him on as well, Gardevoir cupping her hands together and praying for the boy.

Beedrill simply stared and asked, "Is it over?" Weedle replying, "Let's see. As of now, the match has officially lasted the same amount of time as the match between Machamp and Riolu."

However, thanks to the cheers of his friends, Machoke was once again able to get up. Unfortunately, this time was not good as Lucario noticed how badly weakened the boy was, leaping over to him and latching his legs around his waist. The crowd gasped as the dog proceeded to grab onto his wrists, spreading them out and pulling on them hard shouting, "RIOLU TORMENT!"

Everyone stared in absolute horror, Meisai now letting down tears and biting her lower lip under her mask. She knew it was over as she simply looked down, the others also looking as if the situation was hopeless.

Machoke on the other hand did not realize this as he spat, "HEY, MEISAI, I KNOW YOU SAID THE BEST THING I COULD DO WAS AVOID THIS MOVE, BUT COME ON, YOU HAVE TO HAVE FOUND A WAY OUT OF IT BY NOW!" Meisai too saddened to say anything as the boy exclaimed, "LOOK, I'M SORRY I DIDN'T WAIT, OKAY!? DON'T GIVE ME THE COLD SHOULDER AGAIN!"

"It's not that," Meisai sniffed, "It's just... there's no chance," and this was made clear when all four judges stood up and bowed their heads.

"What are the judges doing?" Reika asked as Blaziken replied, "This is a very rare sight, but judges bow their heads to the fighters when they witness a perfect hold, something that can't be escaped no matter what."

Machoke had a look of sheer terror in his eyes as he tried to wriggle his wrists loose. Unfortunately, all this did was make the pain worse as he cried out in agony. And to top it all off, this was the exact moment, Aipom, Bisharp and Scrafty had arrived, all three staring in horror.

Aipom had light tears as Bisharp sighed, "Alas, we are too late," Aipom screeching, "NO!" everyone turning to look at the monkey as she leapt out of Bisharp's arms only to end up falling flat on her face. The monkey ignored this and crawled toward the ring, ignoring the pain in her legs. She had to help out her student at all cost even if she had absolutely no idea what to do right now.

Riolu was simply aghast as he said, "I'd heard rumour he had perfected that move but I didn't think it was true," Machamp gulping, "Imagine if you'd used that on me back in the day!" Riolu folding his arms and grumbling, "Yeah, that would have been something."

Machoke's eyes widened when he noticed Aipom reach the side of the ring, the boy smiling, his eyes sparkling as he exclaimed, "Thank God you're here! I need help! What can I do!?" Aipom asking, "Have you tried shifting your wrists?" the boy nodding as he asked, "How about throwing yourself backward and slamming his face into the mat?"

"I don't think that's gonna work!" Machoke retorted as Meisai sighed, "Unfortunately, he's right. There really is no way out of this," Aipom's eyes and mouth wide open as the girl sniffed, "I'm sorry, Aipom. I failed you," the monkey shaking her head and replying, "You did a better job than I probably would have. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Unfortunately, with everything in mind, Machoke really was doomed as Lucario stretched out his arms, everyone wincing when she heard his bones crack. With that, the dog smirked and said, "If you had stayed down, you could have avoided this," before shifting his body sideways, Machoke's eyes and mouth wide open as everyone heard his backbone snap, the dog releasing his hold on the boy and allowing him to collapsed.

The area went silent as Nori uttered, "And after all that hard work, it would appear that Lucario has won the match. We still need to wait for the ten count to make it official, but it doesn't look good for Machoke," everyone staring in utter silence, no one knowing what to say. Even Machoke's friends had a feeling that all the motivation in the world would not be enough to get him back on his feet, not after hearing that horrible sound.

However, everyone stared in shock as the boy slowly rose to his feet, only now it was clear he should not have been moving. He had a look of desperation on his face as he struggled to stay up. Unfortunately, his arms were too wobbly to do anything and with his back badly injured, taking a step forward was a chore.

However, while everyone else could see his weakness, Lucario saw this as an opportunity to dish out one last move as he said, "Well, time to end this for good," Meisai barking, "NO, LUCARIO, HE'S SUFFERED ENOUGH!"

Unfortunately, the dog refused to listen as he took Machoke by the shoulders, propelling himself high above the ring before flipping him upside-down. Everyone stared in shock as he proceeded to place his knees against Machoke's feet shouting, "NOW SUFFER THE LAST OF MY FATHER'S FINISHERS, COLLAPSING TOWER!" the dog sending the boy's skull hard into the canvas as he coughed up one last bit of blood, finally out for good.

Beedrill did not even need to start the ten count as he gulped, ringing the bell and shouting, "And after a long and intense match, the winner and champion of the Hero Olympics is Lucario!" the British fans going wild as everyone else just stared, no one even knowing how to react to this.

Lucario looked down at Machoke, breathing heavily as thankfully, the boy was still alive. Sure, Lucario may not have been himself during this match, but even so, he knew better than to kill a fellow hero, especially in the Hero Olympics where he knew it would cost him the championship title.

However, it certainly looked like he would be spending a long time in the hospital, Meisai glaring at the dog, Weedle handing Beedrill a belt with a golden medallion in the middle, the wasp nodding and flying over to the ring while carrying it. Lucario noticed this and turned to Beedrill with a serious look in his eyes.

With that, the wasp handed him the belt and said, "Congratulations, Lucario, you've done your family proud," the dog smiling while holding up the belt, the British fans once again applauding him.

"No," Reika groaned, "He didn't deserve that!" Gallade sighing, "There's nothing we can do. Just be grateful it wasn't a villain who defeated him," the boy just as disappointed as the others but trying his best to hide it in the hopes that his sister would not pick up on bad sportsmanship, Aipom trying to climb into the ring only for Bisharp and Scrafty to run over and help her up, the monkey right next to Machoke now as she asked, "Are you okay?"

The boy's eyes slowly opened as he uttered, "I can't feel my arms or legs. Does that mean I lost?" Aipom nodding as the boy bit his lower lip, tears welling up as Aipom nodded her head, saying, "Go ahead, let it all out."

With that, Machoke let out big waterworks and cried, "I was so close!" Aipom hugging his face and patting the back of his neck with her tail hand, saying, "There, there. It's okay," Gardevoir getting up and running toward the ring, the others soon following close behind.

All stood by the ring as they knew they were now allowed to stand there, the judges still standing by. However, what shocked everyone right now was when Lucario looked down at Machoke with a smile on his face, and not a smug one either. This was with genuine respect, Machoke staring at him all the while.

"I have to hand to you, Machoke," Lucario said, "you really are something else. Even though you lost, you made me work the hardest I ever have to achieve this victory. The world may not think so, but I can honestly say you are worthy of your family name," a smile forming on the boy's face as the dog added, "I know I've been acting like a monster throughout this tournament, and honestly, it was my own selfish desire to overcome you and get revenge on your family that caused it. Now that I have it, I guess I have another major conflict to resolve."

The dog then turned to Meisai and nodded his head, asking, "Isn't that right, Amanda?" the girl taking a snickering before taking off her mask, everyone staring in shock as the girl said, "I was wondering when you'd catch on," Clauncher staring in shock and exclaiming, "OH MY GOD, IT WAS AMANDA THE WHOLE TIME! I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!"

Machoke's eyes widened as he asked, "Why did you help me?" Reika turning and saying, "That's a good point. Aren't you Lucario's sister?" Amanda nodding and replying, "I did it because I was worried about my brother. Ever since the tournament started up, he's been acting more malicious than ever before. I was hoping that if you won, he'd learn to deal with failure and return to his old self," Machoke looking down until the girl smiled, adding, "But you know what, Machoke? During my time spent with you, I've developed an admiration for you and I'd like for us to be friends."

The boy blinked and turned to the others who all nodded, Aipom saying, "It's legit," the boy grinning at the girl and saying, "You're always welcome in our group," Lucario taking a deep breath as he asked, "How about me? Am I welcome in your group as well?"

All went silent for a good ten seconds until Machoke grinned and replied, "Sure," Lucario taking his limp hand and shaking it while the crowd went wild, Nori's eyes filling up with tears as she cried, "OH MY GOD, I CAN'T HELP IT! IT'S JUST SO BEAUTIFUL!"

Even Machoke's other supporters were starting to get over his loss. Barbaracle was happy to see the boy taking it like a true warrior while Golduck knew he had done his best. Chung-Ho, Jae and Hana were already good sports, so this was easy enough for them and they knew Ninetales would accept this as well.

Even Talonflame was okay with these results. He tried to hide it by folding his arms and sporting an angry look, however even he could not hold back a grin, the falcon uttering, "Damn you, Machoke. You make me want to start making friends," before flapping his wings and flying out of the area.

Lucario proceeded to climb out of the ring as Amanda stared at him, her smile replaced with a look of shame. However, the dog simply walked over to her and leaned forward before wrapping his arms around her for a hug. Amanda did not even need to hear an apology from him. She could tell from his actions that this was the implication.

Machamp and Riolu both looked at each other with friendly smiled on their faces, the two shaking hands. After such a brutal match with a devastating result, things were surprisingly turning out for the better.

Even Clauncher ran from the crowd to the fight area and held out her claw to Lucario, the dog turning to face her. She was just about to apologize for turning against him when the dog simply shook her claw with a smile that implied he was okay with it.

And with that, everyone soon cleared out of the area, Machoke of course loaded up onto a stretcher as his friends joined him on his trip to the hospital. Reika gave Scyther a light smile as she knew the insect would be returning to Los Angeles with her allies soon enough. All three gave a wave as the ambulance took off. Hopefully this would be the last time a hero would be escorted there for a while.

All the while, Lucario bowed his head in respect before smiling at Clauncher and Amanda. Both smiled back at him and took their leave, the Tokyo Dome soon cleared out save for Beedrill who stuck around to make sure it would be cleaned up and organized by the staff. Even though Machoke had lost, things had still turned out well in the end.


	65. Chapter 65

A week had passed since the Hero Olympics had come to a close and things had started to return to normal. Machoke had thankfully made a full recovery in that time, which boyy thought to be a miracle considering it took Garchomp more than that to recover from just the Riolu Torment alone.

Of course, as expected, Scyther and her allies had returned to Los Angeles. After all, with the Hero Olympics now over, all of the participants had to return to their stations. And unfortunately, this included Hitmonchan, though she and Gallade promised to always stay in contact and even visit each-other every now and then.

Though one big question was what Lucario would do. Since he had not undergone the training on Hero Planet, he had no station in question.

Ultimately, he decided to move to London for a while. After all, Clauncher was still protecting the city by herself and could probably use the help and it would give him a chance to further bond with his sister and even spend time with his mother. Though with him now being the champion of the Hero Olympics, he would be seen on the news quite a bit no matter what country he went to.

But right now, all Machoke and his friends wanted to think about was spending time together at their favourite hangout spot, the club downtown. They figured they would set up something big with the owner in celebration of Machoke's recovery. Though they had instructed Machoke to wait for them to come by and invite him along as they wanted it to be a surprise.

While the boy waited at home, Aipom was not putting him to work like she normally did. Instead, she was pampering him like a mother would, constantly giving him shoulder rubs, allowing him to watch as much TV as he wanted and as if that was not strange enough, she had even made him a banana split for breakfast.

Currently, the boy was watching a new anime series, which had been based off of Lucario. A part of Machoke felt like changing the channel and yet for whatever reason, he was unable to bring himself to do so.

In fact, ever since the dog had become champion, many companies were basing creations off of him. Action figures already existed, but now more effort was being put into them now the world had seen him using his father's techniques. There was already a video game with him as the main character in development and set for release in a year's time and, of course, a manga adaptation of the anime series Machoke was watching was in the works.

As if that was not enough, a trading card game had been made based around the heroes themselves with Lucario being one of the most powerful cards. Including posters, a theme song dedicated to him and much more, Lucario was truly the talk of not only Tokyo but the entire world right now.

Aipom entered and saw him watching, though she noticed an uncomfortable look on his face as she gasped, "Oh my god, Machoke, are your legs cramping up!?" the boy blinking and replying, "No," the monkey ignoring his words and immediately starting to give him a foot rub, saying, "After all you've been through, I want you to feel relaxed. We'll go back to training next week."

"Actually-" Machoke replied only for Aipom to cut in saying, "You're right, that is just unreasonable! We'll start training again next month!"

Months ago, Machoke would have been thrilled to be hearing these words and yet for some strange reason, he was not fully enjoying the treatment he was getting. Sure, he figured he may as well take advantage of it while he could. Lord knew Aipom would likely never be this light on him again, but right now, a part of him wanted to the monkey to train him. He would even be okay with her putting him in headlocks and other uncomfortable positions if it meant he was getting some sort of training from it.

It was not as if he had not let these thoughts slip out a few times. However, every time he did, Aipom would simply pretend she didn't hear it. For the most part, he felt like the monkey was taking pity on him and while the younger him may have been okay with that, he was not so comfortable being treated this way now.

His eyes lit up when he heard a knock on the door, the boy about to get up when Aipom said, "Wait here. I'll get it," the boy sighing and folding his arms, his look of disappointment replaced by one of happiness when he saw his friends there, Blaziken smirking and saying, "Hey, boy, we're ready," the boy getting up and exclaiming, "Sweet!"

With that, the boy quickly put on a pair of slacks and a T-shirt, joined them then turned to Aipom, the monkey smiling at him and staring, signalling him to go with his friends with her tail hand. But just as he was about to do so, the boy asked, "Would you like to come with us this time?"

The monkey's eyes widened as she bit her lip, twitching a bit. A part of her wanted to say yes, but at the same time, she was not sure if Machoke would really want her around. She figured he was just asking her because he knew how much she would have liked to join him and his friends.

With that in mind, she took a deep breath and replied, "Oh no, Machoke, it's okay. You go and have fun," the boy blinking as Gallade patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Well, you heard the girl," the boy shrugging and walking off with the others, Gardevoir looking at him with concern. She felt like something was off but decided not to jump to assumptions.

While Machoke and the others carried on, Reika, Tsuya and Cici soon approached them as Reika said, "Hey, guys," Tsuya resting a hand on Machoke's shoulder while saying, "Hey there, big guy. How are you today?" the boy's eyes widening as he was not used to Tsuya starting up a conversation with him.

Cici, all the while, smiled sweetly at him and said, "It's nice to hang out at the club again, isn't it?" Machoke nodding and replying, "Yeah. With the Olympics over, we can just hang out and wait for the next villain to show up," the boy smiling and feeling at ease now.

As soon as the group arrived, though, Machoke was surprised when streamers were set off, the owner exclaiming, "Well, if it isn't my favourite guest!" the boy blinking as the boy added, "In honour of you being so awesome, Machoke, we've made you a little something," some of the other club members coming out with a big cake, Machoke's eyes widening.

The boy turned to the others as Gardevoir smiled and said, "We figured since you finally got out of the hospital, we should do something special," Machoke smiling and saying, "You guys are the best," getting everyone together for a group hug. At least this did not feel like it was being done out of pity so he was okay with this.

While the people were all enjoying themselves, Blaziken said, "Hey, let's watch a little TV, shall we?" the chicken turning it on, the news currently playing. Currently, a reporter was trying desperately to get an interview with Lucario while the dog was being hounded by adoring fans.

Gallade noticed Machoke with a negative look in his eyes as he nudged Blaziken, directing her attention as she said, "Wow, why is it on this channel? Let's change it," only for the boy to hold up his hand, replying, "No, let it run," the boy putting all focus on the screen right now as Lucario was now enjoying lunch with Amanda and Clauncher.

The reporter simply stared at this, saying, "Sometimes it astounds me how even someone famous can have the time for a simple past time like eating out with friends and family," Gallade muttering in a mocking tone, "Yeah, it's almost like they're people or something."

While Machoke continued to watch Lucario soaking up all this praise, two girls were standing nearby with hearts in their eyes, one of them sighing, "Oh, wow, that Lucario is so dreamy," another adding, "Oh yeah, I wish he was still in Tokyo so I could get his autograph."

Machoke tried his best not to glare at them right now as one of them looked down at him, laughing nervously and saying, "You're awesome too, Machoke. You're a great guy to have around," another adding, "Yeah, you're number one at our club."

The boy got up and said, "Yeah, thanks," Blaziken asking, "Where are you going?" the boy replying, "I just need to go to the washroom real quick," the boy entering that very room as the chicken shrugged, sitting back down.

After a few seconds, her eyes went wide as she spat, "Oh no, I've seen enough movies to know that's going on, and there's a window in there!" the others freaking out as they rushed over to the bathroom, opening the door and noticing the window open, Machoke nowhere to be found. It was just as they had feared.

Not only had the boy escaped but he was currently running through a forest. While running, he had a look of anger on his face as he came across a puddle. A vision of Lucario lying down and basking appeared in the water as Machoke gritted his teeth and rose his foot.

He then proceeded to send it hard into the puddle, imagining Lucario taking in pain to his gut as the boy spat, "YEAH, YOU DON'T LIKE THAT, DO YOU, PRICK!? WHY DON'T YOU STAND UP AND FIGHT!?"

The boy then proceeded to back up when suddenly, he found his shirt caught between two tree branches mainly in the shoulder areas. His eyes widened as he turned and envisioned Lucario there with his arms grasping onto him, the boy crying out in terror and trying to run away.

"OH NO, HE'S GOT ME IN THE RIOLU TORMENT!" the boy spat before the material on his shirt ripped open, the boy getting away as he breathed heavily, a big smile on his face as he turned, pointing at the tree and barking, "YEAH! You see that!? I got out of your precious, perfect hold! You've got nothing on me now!"

With that, the boy grabbed hold of the branches and snapped them in half, leaving a little bit so the half closest to him to hang there as opposed to falling off while saying, "There, now you can't use your arms," the boy then ramming his shoulder into where he could see the dog's face, taking deep breaths when the vision disappeared, Machoke falling to his knees.

"What is wrong with me?" the boy asked himself, tears welling up in his eyes, "I told Lucario that I consider him a friend. And I meant it. I'm more than happy to give him another chance!" the boy then turning back to the puddle and seeing an image of himself as a baby before kneeling down and groaning, "So why does his face piss me off so much?"

During this time, everyone else was out looking for him. Blaziken had immediately called up Aipom to inform her while reminding Reika to call up Keiko and have her help as well. Of course, they had all split up to search for their missing friend. One could only imagine what Machoke would do if he was not found soon.

After some time, Gardevoir was the first to spot him as she had wound up running to the airport. Her eyes widened when she noticed the boy showing a boarding pass and heading toward the gate, the girl squeaking, "MACHOKE, WAIT!"

But she was too late as Machoke was long gone, the girl biting her lower lip, tears flowing down her cheeks. As if his departure was not bad enough, Gardevoir had no idea where he was headed. And of course, it did not take her long to inform everyone that more searching would be in vain.

Needless to say, everyone would have a difficult time coping with this, especially Aipom. Her student had just recovered and she had been doing her best to make sure he felt at ease. Why had he taken off? Was she doing something wrong? Right now, that was the main thing going through her head.

During this time, eight cloaked figures were sneaking about on Hero Planet near the Tower of Justice. After a while, they stopped when they noticed an orange dragon with a flame on his tail named Charizard walking around, his eyes darting back and forth.

However, the cloaked figures had managed to stay hidden well enough not to be spotted they nodded to each other, one of them spreading out wings against her cloak and taking to the sky, flying up to a window. After that, she pulled out a rope and lowered it, the cloaked figures climbing up one-by-one, all except for one who was bigger than the others and decided to stay behind partly because of this.

However, he had another reason for staying outside, and this was soon to become clear when Charizard spotted him, the dragon releasing smoke from his nostrils and barking, "Hey, what are you doing here!?"

The dragon flapped his wings and soared toward the stranger only for a pair of green hands to come out of the cloak, grabbing onto the dragon's arms as the owner said, "You may have been super tough back in the day, but you're not so great now," the figure then leaning backward and lifting the dragon up, slamming him hard into the wall of the tower.

The dragon winced but tried to ignore the pain as he sent his tail toward the stranger's midsection while shouting, "TAIL TORCH!" only for the figure to grab hold of the tail's tip, ignoring the pain caused by the flame and swinging Charizard around, once again slamming him into the wall.

As if that was not enough, the figure proceeded to grab hold of Charizard's arms before leaning in, revealing a green pointed mouth with rows of sharp teeth and biting into his shoulders. After that, the figure proceeded to lift the dragon up above his head while shouting in a slightly muffled voice, "CRUNCH BRAINBUSTER!" leaning backward and slamming the dragon hard against the ground, knocking him out for good.

But it did not end there as the figure proceeded to lift the dragon up by his head, saying, "You have no place in this world, anymore. You fail as a hero and a night watchman. The world would be better off without you," the figure forcing Charizard's head to the right and snapping his neck, the dragon's eyes widening briefly as the figure let him go, allowing his body to collapse as his flame vanished, nothing but a few smoke lines remaining.

During this time, the others had managed to make their way past security. The guards who had spotted them quickly met the same fate as Charizard while the cloaked figures stood before a locked door, one turning to another who nodded and lifted up the side of his cloak to reveal a blade coming from the side of his head. The being then walked over to the door and slid the horn through the keyhole and turned it around before hearing a clicking sound.

With that, he proceeded to open the door as one cloaked figure who had what looks like small purple clouds coming from under his cloak grinned and said, "Good job. We've finally found it," the male entering before seeing a beautiful sight before his eyes.

This was the room where Giratina's mask had been placed for safe keeping. The figure, who seemed to be the leader, laughed insanely and exclaimed, "We have it!" picking up the mask and adding, "With this, the world will have no choice but to fear us!" a female whispering, "Sir, with all due respect, you should probably keep your voice down."

The boy nodded and replied, "Right, sorry. I was just super excited is all," before grinning again as another figure asked, "I have to ask, sir, how do you intend on awakening Giratina? Medicham tried before and it failed. I'm sure you read the article, right?" the leader nodding and replying, "Yes, but what she didn't realize was that she was missing something very important."

With that, the cloaked figures all made their escape. With Giratina's mask in their hands, there was no doubt things were going to get worse very soon.

The following day, Machoke's friends had gathered together at the club, figuring a little time spent there might help cheer them up. On the contrary, it ended up making things worse. This was where they had been when the boy took his leave. What made them think this would help?

"I just can't figure it out," Reika said with a sigh, "He seemed fine and we made him a cake an everything," Blaziken stating, "Yeah, but I don't think it had anything to do with us. You saw that look in his eyes when watching that news report, right?" Gallade remarking, "True, but he ultimately took his loss well in the end, even declaring a friendship with Lucario. Do those sound like the actions of someone who's butthurt over a loss?"

"Look, getting over something that devastating is not as easy as it may appear," Blaziken explained, "Gallade, how did your first major loss feel?" the boy replying, "You mean my loss to Scrafty?" Gallade's nodding his head as he said, "Well, I felt like I'd failed miserably. I kept up a positive front, but yeah, deep down inside, I felt like I had forced my sister into the ring," Gardevoir staring at him as the boy turned to her, sighing, "I felt like my weakness forced you into that ring. It made me feel like I wasn't doing my job as your big brother," Gardevoir smiling softly and patting him on the shoulder.

"Well, that was a loss to a villain," Tsuya remarked, "Anyone would feel bad about that," Blaziken nodding and asking, "Well, how did you feel when you lost to Scyther, then?" Gallade's eyes going wide as he uttered, "I was perfectly fine with it. After all, that win was pure luck anyway," everyone staring at him as he groaned, "Alright, fine! When I was rushed to the hospital and regained consciousness, I cried myself into a long nap, okay!?"

Reika snickered a bit as the boy shot her a glare, the girl laughing even louder as Blaziken rolled her eyes, saying, "See? Even though you lost to a hero, you still felt bad about it. And on that note, how long did it take you to get over it?"

Gallade blinked and thought about that before replying, "Well, I was able to stop thinking about it after a day, but not all the time. Every now and then, that defeat would come back to haunt me. It wasn't until I started training again that I truly let it go," Cici asking, "So how did training help?" the boy replying, "Well, every time I trained, I simply thought about getting stronger and defeating my next opponent."

Blaziken nodded and replied, "Even before I knew Talonflame was evil, I felt the same way after he defeated me. I'm pretty sure Machoke's undergoing the same feelings right now. He'll get over it soon enough and come back, I know it."

The others shrugged and nodded their heads, hoping the chicken was right. After all, it felt lonely not having Machoke around. Sure, they still had each-other, but they were so used to him being there all the time.

As it just so happened, the boy had taken a flight to Hawaii, mainly Maui on the island Kahakuloa, in order to clear his head. As he got off the plane, the boy took a deep breath and chuckled to himself, thinking, 'Isn't this ironic? I got after Dad for doing this on a regular basis,' the boy looking up at the sky and starting to understand why Machamp liked coming here so much. It really was a beautiful place, and he had not even seen a lot of it yet.

The boy then decided to look around when he noticed a familiar figure playing with a group of kids, namely the octopus Octillery who was wearing a one piece swimsuit. The boy's eyes widened as he waved, exclaiming, "Hey, Octillery, I didn't know you were assigned to Maui!" the octopus noticing him and smiling, waving a free tentacle and exclaiming, "Wow, I haven't seen you since the three-legged race! How have you been!?"

Machoke was not sure how to answer this, but luckily for him, the octopus very quickly forgot her question as she was simply stoked to see one of Japan's representatives visiting. And among the two others, she found Machoke to be a lot easier to get along with than Sawk.

"Oh my gosh, you're Machoke!" one of the kids exclaimed as the boy grinned, replying, "Yes, I am," a little girl pointing and squealing, "You're the guy who was beaten by Lucario!" Machoke holding his grin and resisting the urge to lash out at her for that statement.

Octillery simply waved at the kids and said, "Sorry to ditch you all, but my friend here needs a tour guide. I promise we'll play again some other time," the kids nodding and replying, "It's okay, Miss Octillery!"

The octopus decided to show the boy around as he said, "You know, you didn't have to do this for me," the octopus replying, "Nonsense, Machoke. I couldn't just have you wandering around without any idea where all the hot spots are. But before we get to that, are you hungry?" Machoke hearing his stomach growl as he replied, "Now that you mention it..."

Soon enough, Octillery had taken him to a nearby restaurant to treat him to lunch. While the two sat and waited for their food to arrive, Octillery smiled at Machoke and said, "Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I called up a friend to join us. She really wants to meet you," the boy's eyes widening as he asked, "Really? A girl wants to meet me?" the octopus nodding her head and replying, "But don't get any weird ideas. I'll admit, she actually is a lot prettier than me."

The boy simply blinked, thinking, 'Yeah, because that's not easy to pull off,' the octopus then noticing her friend and waving, shouting, "Hey, over here, girl!"

Machoke turned and was actually rather surprised to see just what kind of friend Octillery was referring to. The young girl standing there had a purple body while her neck and head were covered in a black colour save for her face, which was also purple. Her hair was spiked up to give her head more of a teardrop shape with a white bow-like fixture at the base of the tip. She also had four discs of skin coming from each side of her head resembling bangs. Currently, she was wearing a black T-shirt and shorts.

A light smile formed on her face as she walked over, saying, "So this is the famous Machoke. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Gothitelle," the girl holding out her arm as Machoke blinked, holding out his own hand and shaking hers.

The girl then proceeded to sit down, sighing, "Oh god, I should have brought my umbrella," Octillery sighing, "Gothitelle, we've been through this. If a villain attacks, you won't be allowed to use your umbrella against them," the girl groaning, "I know. I gotta get used to not having it around."

Machoke stared in confusion as the octopus whispered, "Her family is known for having a fear of sunlight. Needless to say, sending her to protect Hawaii of all states was not a smart move on the government's part, though she has spent the last month trying to get over her phobia," Machoke nodding and adding nothing to that.

Gothitelle simply took a deep breath, not wanting her personal matters to ruin things with now as she asked, "So, what brings you here?" Octillery replying, "Oh yeah, I was gonna ask you that. Didn't you just get out of the hospital?" Machoke nodding and asking, "How did you know that?"

"There was a news article about it," Gothitelle replied, Machoke's eyes sparkling until the girl added, "Though it was a small one posted on the last page," the boy lowering his eyelids thinking, 'What the hell is it doing in the last section?'

He then took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, I haven't been feeling well since my recovery," Octillery gasping, "Are you muscles still sore!? Do you need a full-body massage!? I'm very good at those!" a smile forming on her face as Gothitelle sighed, "Oh no, it's deeper than that," Machoke staring as she added, "I can read people's auras, though it only works on occasion."

"Well, you're right," Machoke replied, "I told myself I was okay with my loss to Lucario, but I'm really not. Everywhere I go, I keep seeing him giving me this smug look, rubbing the fact that I lost in my face. And I know he's probably not thinking like that now, but I can't stop thinking about it. It's been really stressing me out, so I figured a trip here would help me calm down."

The girls nodded as Octillery said, "Well, we'll be more than happy to show you every attraction, right, Gothitelle?" the goth letting out a sigh, knowing it would mean spending more time in the blazing hot sun but nodding her head and replying, "Yeah, we know a lot about Maui, so you don't have to worry about relaxing."

"Well, that would be all well and good," Machoke replied, "but would you guys be willing to help me train, like, maybe one or two hours a day?" the two staring before turning to one-another, Gothitelle smiling and saying, "You're speaking my language," Octillery smiling and saying, "Well, that's not my idea of relaxation, but if that'll make you feel better, sure."

During this time, the cloaked figures from earlier were at the shrine in Sendai. The leader walked over to the pedestal and said, "Alright, it's time I finally told you what the final ingredient is. I have to thank you all for following me despite me not revealing this very information."

"You're welcome," one member remarked, "You really should have told us from the start," the leader sighing, "I'll admit, the reason I held back on such information was because I was not sure if I could fully trust you, but now I know for a fact that I can."

The other seven figures bowed their heads as thanks for his words, the leader adding, "What Medicham was missing from the equation was this," the boy signalling to another member who had been carrying a bag the whole way and having him hand it over. With that, he pulled out the contents, three big gold half-rings, adding, "After all, what is Giratina without his neck armour?"

"Where did you find that?" one of the figures asked, another adding, "That's a good question. The mask was easily found after the match, but the rings went missing!" the boy nodding and replying, "Everyone thought they just up and vanished, but no, they ended up flying into the side of a cliff. Unfortunately for the world, I found them," the boy laughing and asking, "So, are you all ready to welcome your new leader?"


	66. Chapter 66

Things were going to get really bad very soon as the cloaked figures were just moments away from awakening Giratina, one of the most powerful villains who ever lived. One could only imagine how bad things would get with him back in the land of the living.

The leader placed the golden half-rings and the mask on top of each other on the pedestal as the artifacts started to light up. The figures all watched in total aw as the light started to get brighter before turning to a cloud of darkness, the cloud spreading and covering the area. After a few seconds, a pair of glowing red eyes formed in the cloud as it soon cleared up.

The cloaked figures just stood there, their eyes widening as standing before them was grey dragon with a neck the length of his torso, the three half-rings latched to the back of it. Red and black stripes ran along the front of his body while big bat-like wings came from his back. He had a long tail, two bulky arms and four legs. This was the demon himself, Giratina.

All went silent as the dragon looked upon the group, asking in a booming voice, "CAN EITHER OF YOU TELL ME WHY I AM HERE!?" one figure gulping and uttering, "You go ahead, leader," the boy nodding and removing his cloak to reveal a rather odd figure.

He was not like the other villains as he seemed to be a human with pale skin and dark purple hair. And he was not simply human-like such as Hitmonchan or Machoke but rather he was had a completely human look. The only thing that differentiated him from that species was that various parts of his body seemed to be trying to get away from him, forming small purple clouds that looked more like bits of data.

"You appear human but I can you're not," Giratina stated before asking, "What is your name, young one?" the boy grinning and replying, "You may call me Missingno."

While he looked fully confident standing before Giratina right now, his allies looked rather frightened. With the dragon being so powerful, they were expecting him to turn on them and likely try to rule without help. However, he ended up surprising the group as he bowed his head, saying, "Thank you for returning me to the land of the living. Whatever it is you wish of me, I will grant it."

The others stared as Missingno smiled, saying, "Glad to see we can count on you," the boy turning to the others and adding, "It's okay, you guys can introduce yourselves now," the others simply nodding and removing their cloaks.

One of them was a purple butterfly with blue feet, stubby blue hands and a small blue muzzle with two fangs coming from the bottom. With a pair of red eyes, she introduced herself as Butterfree.

The one who had killed Charizard was a big dinosaur with a green hide covering his body. Spikes went down from the back of his head to just below the shoulders and he had a blue belly that could be seen thanks to a big diamond-shaped hole in his hide. The chest and knee areas also had triangular holes in them. He quickly introduced himself as Tyranitar.

The third ally was a wolf covered in snow white fur. The only part not covered was his face, which was black. He had a tail shaped like a bat wing and a big horn that resembled a sickle coming from the side of his head and his name was Absol.

The next was a pale yellow girl with skin that resembled a dress. Her arms, feet and hair were black while she had a big alligator-like mouth that resembled a ponytail. Her name was Mawile.

Next up was a green chameleon with a long curled up tail. Going around his midsection was a red zigzag stripe. With yellow markings on his face, his name was Kecleon.

There was also a black zebra on Missingno's team with white stripes on various parts of his body. He had a darker snout and a white mane shaped like a lightning bolt. His name was Blitzle.

Finally, the last member of the team was a floating golden sword with a white rim around the blade. She was pointed upside-down with a purple eye where the blade met the hilt. She had thin black arms attached to paper-like hands with purple fingers and held a shield in one hand. Her name was Aegislash.

"Now that introductions are out of the way," Missingno said, "it's time to get down to business. See, my plan is to rid the world of its mightiest heroes so that evil can finally rule," Giratina grinning wickedly and replying, "I like the way you think. That is something I will gladly assist in."

However, at that moment, everyone gasped when Giratina started breathing rather heavily, Missingno asking, "Are you okay?" the dragon cursing, "Dammit. It seems all those years stuck in the land of the dead have weakened me," the others staring wide-eyed, their jaws dropped.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Blitzle spat, the zebra placing a hoof against his forehead and sighing, "Alas, it simply wasn't meant to be! World conquest, it was in our grasp, but it has escaped from us!" Aegislash rolling her eye and remarking, "I say, stop being such a drama queen, my good sir. Surely there is a solution to our problem."

Giratina took another deep breath and replied, "Actually, there might be something you can do. Even back in the day, I was always at my most powerful in the Reverse World," the others staring as Butterfree asked, "Reverse World?"

"Yes, that is the realm you were born in, correct?" Missingno asked as Tyranitar asked, "What?" Mawile's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "That sounds so cool! Let's go there right now!" Giratina replying, "Yes, the sooner we get there, the better. I simply need to spend a total of eight hours there and all of my power will return. But there is one minor issue that needs to be addressed."

Absol simply shrugged and replied, "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it," Missingno cutting in and saying, "Well, luckily for us, I already know where it is," Blitzle gasping, "Why, sir, you are just an encyclopedia of convenient information!" Butterfree asking, "Was that supposed to be a compliment or sarcasm? I seriously couldn't tell."

"I'll take it as a compliment," Missingno said with a shrug before adding, "The portal is located in Tokyo, correct?" Giratina nodding and replying, "Seems your partner there is not exaggerating. I'm actually impressed that you knew that," the dragon then taking a few deep breaths and adding, "Alright, you will keep me hidden until we get there. I do not wish for anyone else to see me this weak. And once we're in the Reverse World, I am counting on you all to keep watch in case someone else discovers the portal and tries to stop me from recuperating."

"You mean you can't just close it once we're in?" Butterfree asked as the dragon sighed, "If only it were that simple. Until my strength returns, the most I'll be able to do is open it," Missingno replying, "Do not worry, sir. To the best of our knowledge, there are only four heroes stationed in Tokyo and, as you can see, there's eight of us. It should be easy to at least keep them busy for eight hours if we don't end up killing them first."

"Excellent," Giratina replied with a smirk, "I admire your enthusiasm," the villains all putting their cloaks back on before putting together one for Giratina and covering him up as well. After all, it was as he said. Things could go wrong if people saw him in a weakened state.

However, just as they were about to leave, they found themselves stopped in their tracks as a turtle and a magnetic cyborg, namely Magnemite and Squirtle stood before them. The group stared silently as Squirtle narrowed her eyelids, asking, "What, pray tell, were you doing in there?"

"It's none of your business," Missingno replied while hidden by his cloak, "but if you must know, we were praying," Magnemite remarking, "Somehow I find it really hard to believe that," Squirtle nodding and saying, "He detected something was wrong, and his intuition is almost perfect."

Giratina gritted his teeth but said nothing as Absol sighed, "Whatever. These two won't be much of a challenge for us," Missingno replying, "You know what? You make a good point," Squirtle gulping and uttering, "Actually, that's true. There's eight of them," Magnemite replying, "Don't worry, with my brains and your strength, I might be able to come up with a way of taking them all out at once."

"That is a bold claim, I must say," Aegislash said all but Giratina and Missingno removed their cloaks, all seven getting ready for battle as Missingno said, "You guys needn't waste your time battling at once," before pointing at Absol and Blitzle, saying, "You two can take care of them."

Blitzle's eyes sparkled as he exclaimed, "Oh, joy of joys, dream of dreams, he picked me!" Absol rolling his eyes and sighing, "Of all the allies," before shrugging and getting ready for battle, simply feeling glad to have been picked for this one. The others simply sat on the sidelines, putting their cloaks back on but readying themselves in case they would need to replace their allies.

"It's a shame," Magnemite said, "but hey, taking down two at a time will be fine," Squirtle gulping and uttering, "I really hope this plan of yours is as good as you say," the cyborg replying, "Do not worry, Squirtle, for this plan is one of sheer and utter brilliance, my best yet."

"Oh god, I don't know what's worse," Butterfree groaned, "his bragging or Blitzle's theatrics," Missingno sighed, "Honestly, I don't know either," Giratina really hoping he had made the right decision picking these eight as allies.

"Alright, let's start things off with tactic seven," Magnemite said as Squirtle sighed, "I don't care for that one, but if you're sure," the turtle tucking into her shell and spinning toward the two. The two followed her before she retracted from her shell, grabbing onto Absol's ankle.

"I can see why you don't like this tactic," Absol said before lifting his leg along with Squirtle up and leaping up before sending it forward, flinging the turtle toward Magnemite. The cyborg's eyes widened as the turtle flew hard into his face, knocking him on his back.

"What the hell was that!?" Tyranitar exclaimed, "And this guy's supposed to be a smarty-pants!?" Magnemite sighing, "I miscalculated. At the very least, that wolf is a lot tougher than he looks," Absol sighing, "Or maybe your turtle friend is weaker than you think."

Squirtle gritted her teeth as the cyborg sighed, "Easy does it. He's just trying to get under your skin," the turtle taking a deep breath and replying, "Right. I'm assuming that was supposed to set them up, right?" Magnemite nodding and replying, "Yes, but it looks like we might need a new approach."

With that, the cyborg implied a grin and said, "Initial tactics twenty-three and seventy at the same time, and then we'll end with tactic one-hundred," Squirtle's eyes sparkling as she grinned, squealing, "Let's do it!"

With that, the turtle and the cyborg both headed toward their opponents, Absol and Blitzle readying themselves only for Squirtle to tuck herself into her shell and spin toward Absol, the wolf sighing, "Seriously? Again?" only to be surprised when the turtle started spinning at an incredible speed around him, creating a dust devil around him as stones and gravel got in his eyes.

Magnemite all the while, looked like he was going to punch Blitzle only to duck down and place a firm grip on his legs before shouting, "SPARK!" sending a course of electricity into him thus providing a good distraction.

With that, both heroes proceeded to wrap their arms around their respective targets and turned their backs to one-another, shouting, "TWO PRONGED SUPLEX!" but just as Absol and Blitzle's heads were about to collide, the two recovered from the inconveniences dealt earlier and threw their arms back, Absol's hands and Blitzle's hooves running into one-another thus stopping the attack.

After that, the two proceeded to latch their legs around each fighter, Blitzle's around Magnemite's waist and Absol's onto Squirtle's head since she was a lot shorter. Both were in too much panic right now to react as the villains applied enough force to shove their backs into one-another, both wincing in pain, Magnemite taking in the most pain as he had just been struck by Squirtle's shell.

With that, Absol lowered his head before swinging it across Squirtle's chest, shouting, "NIGHT SLASH!" thus putting a big gash on her shell as a cut formed on her skin, blood squirting out. This seemed more than enough as the turtle fell hard on her back, out cold from the move.

Blitzle had his own plans as well as his body was covered in electricity, the zebra getting down on all fours and charging toward Magnemite while shouting, "WILD CHARGE!" the tip of his mane becoming like a blade as he drove it straight into the cyborg's heart, sending electricity down his veins and knocking him out cold as well.

Both checked their opponents' heart beats and confirmed that they were no longer beating as Missingno smirked, saying, "Good job, though I'm disappointed it took so long," Absol sighing, "Honestly, I'm disappointed by how easy that was. One hit was all it took to kill them," Mawile laughing and exclaiming, "Guess today's heroes aren't as great as the world thinks they are!"

Giratina took a deep breath and said, "This is a great moment, but let us make haste. I would like to regain my power as soon as possible," the group nodding and carrying on.

After they had left the area for good, Magnemite coughed despite not having a mouth for anything to come out and took a deep breath, sighing, "Oh my god, I thought I was gonna die there!" Squirtle slowly recovering and groaning, "But don't you think faking our deaths was a little dishonest?" Magnemite sighing, "Tactic Zero was our only option. After feeling that one move, I could tell there was no way we could have won."

"But it's not like you to just give up," Squirtle remarked as Magnemite sighed, "Yes, and it pains me that I had to resort to that, but there's a reason I decided to do so," the turtle asking, "What?" then noticing the cyborg pull out his cellphone and say, "Because with us still alive, we can inform others of their presence."

However, before making the call, he decided to have him and Squirtle follow in secret to see what the group was planning, soon noticing them heading toward the local subway station. Unlike Medicham and her group, they had not decided on taking a freight train, and it seemed logical. After all, the bullet train was significantly faster and could get them to Tokyo really quickly.

"Okay, so they're taking the bullet train," Squirtle whispered, "but where to? There are a lot of cities going that way," Magnemite nodding and listening in as Tyranitar asked, "So, just to be clear, we're going to Tokyo, right?" Giratina and Missingno nodding as Magnemite and Squirtle gave each-other thumbs up, quickly fleeing the area before they could be spotted.

And of course, during this time, Beedrill along with a number of other staff members had discovered all the dead bodies lying around the Tower of Justice, including the corpse of Charizard. His wife had been called up as she was naturally having a very hard time getting over this, and many others were having just as much trouble getting over it.

And on that note, a meeting was held as panic was filling the area, Beedrill clearing his throat and stating, "As you all have seen, many of our security guards have been, well, killed. And to make matters even worse, one of our top fighters, Charizard, has been murdered," Riolu nodding and replying, "Don't forget the mask of Giratina," Beedrill nodding as the others stared in confusion, the wasp adding, "Yes, the mask of Giratina has also been stolen, and it's obvious the assailants who took so many lives last night are the culprits."

"Oh, not again!" Jolteon exclaimed, "What are we gonna do!? Who knows what they can do with that in their possession!? We're all gonna die!" Riolu sighing, "Calm down, Jolteon!" the fox staring as he added, "Look, in case you've forgotten, the mask's power didn't work when Medicham used it. With that in mind, I highly doubt it truly has the power to bring Giratina back to life."

"In that case, we only have really threatening villains to deal with," Sandshrew stated as Riolu sighed, "Well, I'm just going with a hunch here. For all I know, they may have discovered a method that can work."

"So what are we gonna do?" a small bear named Teddiursa asked, everyone turning to face Beedrill as he nodded, saying, "Right. Well, we'll call up the heroes on Earth and tell them to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious."

"Of course," Bouffalant said with a shrug, "That should have been obvious," Riolu sighing, "Are you certain that will be enough, sir? This is the highest number of murders commited by villains in ages," Beedrill remarking, "Hey, I'm the chairman and I say we leave it to the heroes stationed on Earth!" all going silent as the others nodded, saying nothing more than that. After all, Beedrill was right. It was clear the heroes of old were no longer good enough to take on powerhouses like these.

However, Beedrill felt a bit of guilt saying something like this. He knew his father wanted him to think for himself now, but he had only suggested because he knew the caterpillar would say the same thing. A part of him actually wanted to go to Earth right now and become part of the solution since he was still young.

But as chairman, he knew it was not his place to endanger himself even if it was for the right cause and after spending a good amount of time serving evil, he felt like he owed the law an apology and figured following it would suffice. Right now, he was really starting to wonder if he was making the right choice.

During this time, Magnemite, with the help of his computer-like brain, had managed to figure out Aipom's phone number without needing a phone book. As such, he dialled her up, knowing that if anyone could inform the others without him being charged for multiple long-distance calls, it was Machoke's trainer.

Aipom was currently washing dishes, figuring she may as well try not to spend her time worrying about Machoke. After all, it was like Blaziken had said, there was no way Machoke would be gone for too long. She was calm and was not going to think too much about recent events.

It was at this moment that she heard the phone ring, the monkey's eyes widening as she squealed, "OH MY GOD, IS IT MACHOKE!?" running over to the machine and picking it up, clearing her throat and saying, "Hello?"

Unfortunately, it was not Machoke on the other line nor was it good news. After listening to what was said, the monkey simply took a deep breath and replied, "Alright, I understand. I'll let the others know right away," before hanging up and sighing, "Great, nine of them. Now we really need his help."

Seeing as most of her other friends were too far away to make it in time even if they could catch a plane immediately, she decided to call up Throh and Sawk to come and help. After all, they were close by.

And soon enough, Blaziken, Gallade and Gardevoir had all met up at the train station as they knew this was where the cloaked figures would be coming from within the next few hours. Blaziken took a deep breath and said, "Alright, apparently, there's gonna be nine of them," Gallade gulping, "Yeah, I know," Gardevoir biting her lip and whimpering, "We might not be able to take them."

"I hate to say it, but even I can't stand up to nine powerhouses," Blaziken replied with a smirk, "but that doesn't mean we can't try. We're heroes, so we'll do our best to make sure we win."

Unfortunately, it seemed their plan would not succeed as the villains had actually gotten off of the train after reaching Niigata and had switched to a bus. Sure, they stood out more, but they were okay with that, Butterfree groaning, "Why are we taking a bus now?"

"Yes, Absol, you seemed very sure of yourself that this was the best course of action," Missingno stated as the wolf replied, "I was hoping you would have sensed it too, but I had a feeling someone with, let's say, connections was watching and listening in on us before we boarded the train. Call it a hunch, but I feel this'll save us some trouble."

Giratina nodded and replied, "That's good thinking. Better safe than sorry," the others turning as he added, "Of course, if I was at full power, I'd have no problem with this," Missingno nodding and replying, "Of course."

He really hoped that Giratina was not bluffing. After all, it was said that only the amazingly powerful Arceus could defeat the dragon back in the day. There was no way those stories could possibly be lies.

Whatever the case, it seemed the heroes of Tokyo would be wasting quite a bit of time. Would they catch on quickly enough or would this new mode of transportation make entrance into the Reverse World inevitable?


	67. Chapter 67

While the heroes waited for the train to arrive, the bus that the villains were actually taking was on its way to Tokyo at this time. Sure, they stuck out like a sore thumb, but it was not the driver's job to discriminate.

All the while, Throh and Sawk were on their way to Tokyo by train right now. Sure, they knew the villains' train would arrive first, but this was the fastest method they could take. After all, they could not let down the very heroes who helped them same Osaka and even bested the villains who had made fools of them. They felt like they owed them a huge favour and this was their chance.

However, Sawk was looking rather nervous as Throh asked, "What's the matter?" Sawk sighing, "I can't help but fear we might lose this one for sure. After all, Aipom told us there were nine of them, right?" Throh nodding and replying, "Even if we lose, we still have to try. Don't ever forget that," Sawk nodding and smirking at his brother, both bumping their fists together.

After a few hours, the train that was originally carrying the villains arrived at the station. But just as Blaziken, Gallade and Gardevoir were poised for battle, only the usual citizens emerged. No one was wearing a cloak nor was there any sign of someone who was not human.

"Okay, guys, how long does it take to get from Sendai to Tokyo by train?" Gallade asked as Blaziken sighed, "Seven hours," Gardevoir whimpering as the chicken added, "Don't worry. It probably just got delayed."

During this time, the bus they had switched to had already arrived as the cloaked figures stood before the Tokyo Dome, Butterfree saying, "Wow, the location of the finals match... that seems really convenient," Giratina remarking, "Well, this is definitely here, but I don't remember this building before. I'm really hoping the location hasn't been covered."

"Well, lead the way," Missingno said with a grin as the dragon nodded, going ahead of them while the others followed and said nothing. They knew that in the end, this would all be worth it.

And soon enough, the group was standing in the field. With no events going on right now, naturally the place was empty. This was simply too perfect, Giratina looking around before turning his focus to the middle of the area, saying, "There, this is the place."

With that, the dragon took a deep breath and let out a loud roar, the others watching in total aw as a big black hole appeared in the area. The dragon cleared his throat, saying, "It's not as easy doing that as it used to be," before turning to the others and adding, "Remember, you are all to make sure no one interrupts my recovery."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't need to remind us," Tyranitar remarked as Mawile simply stared at the portal, her hair mouth drooling a bit. Absol simply rested an arm on her shoulder and said, "Come on, we're going in," Mawile replying, "But I thought we were keeping watch outside."

"Actually, I only want one of you staying behind," Giratina said, "Trust me, when you're in the Reverse World, it's a lot easier to take advantage of your opponent. I simply want you all to choose your own areas to guard in case someone tries to get through."

Missingno nodded and said, "In that case, I choose to stay close to you so no one can get to you while you're recovering," Giratina nodding and replying, "Very well," the others then wondering who would stay behind until Blitzle cleared his throat and said, "Fear not, for I will stay behind and guard everyone," Aegislash shrugging and replying, "If that is what you wish, sir Blitzle," the zebra's eyes sparkling as she sighed, "Please don't think too much of that. I simply like to address males as sir every now and then."

"Actually," Missingno replied, "I'd prefer it if Tyranitar stayed behind," everyone staring as the boy added, "I've always thought of him as my best security guard, so I feel he's the best pick."

The others could not help but think there might be another reason for this, but Tyranitar seemed to buy it as he grinned, saying, "You can count on me, sir," the dinosaur holding his thumb claw up while the others entered, Butterfree quickly turning to him and stating, "Only attack any hero who tries to interfere. Humans are not worth your time," the butterfly then joining the others.

However, it was only natural that something this big would likely get the attention of someone, and it did as a news reporter arrived on the scene, saying, "I am now standing in the Tokyo Dome where a black hole has just appeared. Shockingly, it is not trying to suck anyone into it. And it looks like someone is standing in front of it."

At that very moment, Gallade, Gardevoir and Blaziken had started to really wonder if the villains would ever arrive when the broadcast started showing everywhere, including a TV that had recently been added to the subway station to broadcast news reports. When the report in question came on, all three turned, their eyes going wide.

"So, tell me, what is up with this here hole?" the reporter asked, holding her microphone up to Tyranitar's face as the dinosaur gulped, remembering he had been told not to attack any humans. However, seeing the camera on him caused him a blush slightly as he cleared his throat and explained, "If you have to know, this here is a portal that leads to some kind of other world. I think it was called the Distortion World or the Zero World... I can't remember."

"And how did it appear in this very spot?" the woman asked as Tyranitar replied, "Well, that I can't tell you, but if you know what's good for you, no one out there will even so much as attempt to enter this place!"

The heroes stared in shock before Blaziken gritted her teeth, Tyranitar adding, "And even if by some miracle you do manage to get in there, my buddies will be waiting to tare you limb from limb, so I'd advise you to stay as far away from here as possible!" the reporter replying, "Well, this reporter cannot ignore a threat like that. I'll be staying outside!" the dinosaur then blushing again and asking, "How do I look?"

"Dammit!" Gallade cursed, "They tricked us! We gotta hurry!" Blaziken remarking, "You think?" Gardevoir nodding as the trio took off.

And of course during this time, Machoke and Gothitelle were in the middle of a sparring match when Octillery ran out from the house she was staying in and shouting, "COME INSIDE! YOU'LL WANT TO SEE THIS!" the two staring but refusing to question this. After all, it was very uncommon for Octillery to be alarmed by something.

When the two entered, she directed their attention to the news report as Machoke's eyes widened, the boy recognizing the Tokyo Dome right off the bat. As such, the boy groaned, "Oh no! I gotta go and help the others! They're probably already going to try and get through that!"

Octillery blinked and asked, "You sure? We haven't gotten a lot of training in yet," the boy remarking, "I know, but this is urgent! I don't know what's going on with that hole, but I can tell it's something awful!" Gothitelle nodding and saying, "He's got a point," the boy then groaning, "But how am I gonna get there fast enough!?"

Octillery thought about this, her eyes going wide as she placed a tentacle on his shoulder and said, "Worry not, dear Machoke, for I have just the solution."

And during this time, Lucario had seen the report as well while having lunch with his mom and sister, the dog gritting his teeth as Amanda said, "You want to go and help, don't you?" Lucario nodding and replying, "Naturally. This looks really bad," the dog then rubbing his chin and adding, "Now if only I knew a way to get there quickly. A plane would not be fast enough and a boat would be even slower."

Sarah thought about this and said, "Son, I know you and your father don't talk much, but perhaps I could call him up and ask him to swing by and give you a ride," the dog taking a deep breath, his body twitching as Amanda gave him a worried look, the dog sighing, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

At around this time, Beedrill had seen the announcement as well. After all, it was the government's job to help protect Earth, so it only made sense that they were able to see Earth's news reports.

His eyes were wide open as Weedle entered, exclaiming, "Son, have you seen the news!?" the wasp turning to his father and replying, "Yeah, I have. Do you know what that portal is?" the caterpillar sighing, "As a matter of fact, I do."

Beedrill turned to him as he replied, "That's the entrance to the Reverse World," the wasp looking confused as the caterpillar added, "See, that's the world Giratina was created in. Only he can open it, so the fact that it's open right now is a really bad sign."

Beedrill nodded and got up, Weedle asking, "Where are you going?" Beedrill replying, "You told me to start thinking for myself, right? Well, I'm finally going to do that, Dad," the caterpillar's eyes going wide as he spat, "HOLD ON, SON-" only for Beedrill to exit the room.

Weedle's eyes went wide as he took many deep breaths. A part of him wanted to feel proud of his son for taking such responsibility, but at the same time, he could not help but worry. After all, that was what parents did.

When Beedrill headed outside of the tower, he noticed Riolu getting into a spaceship and asked, "Going somewhere?" the dog nodding and replying, "Yeah, I just got an urgent call from my son," tears welling up in his eyes as he sniffed, "He's actually turning to me for help!" Beedrill staring and uttering, "Okay, when did you become such a sap?" before shrugging and getting into a spaceship of his own.

While Lucario waited for his father to arrive, he heard the sound of flapping before turning and noticing a certain falcon land behind him. Talonflame stared at him for a while until he asked, "What do you want?" the falcon smirking and replying, "I heard you were gonna go bust some heads. Figured I might join you."

Lucario narrowed his eyelids as Talonflame sighed, "Okay, I deserve that," before adding, "Look, I admit it, I've done lots of things I'm not proud of. I scammed the government and even commited murder."

The dog took a deep breath and replied, "Well, to be fair, I killed an innocent civilian," the two staring at each-other before the dog asked, "How do I know you're not trying to trick me?" Talonflame remarking, "Please, you think I'd actually try that? After all I've done, there's no way I could pull the wool over your eyes."

These words were more than enough as Lucario smirked and held his arm forward, saying, "Well, I'll admit, fighting alongside you will increase my chances, not that I actually need the help," Talonflame remarking, "I don't really need it either, but I think watching Machoke fight has made me into a bit of a softie," the two shaking hands.

During all of this, Gallade, Gardevoir and Blaziken had arrived at the Tokyo Dome's entrance. Both turned to one-another with serious looks and nodded before sprinting inside. Upon entering the field, they noticed the news crew still there as Tyranitar continued to stand watch over the portal.

It was not long until the reporter spotted them as she exclaimed, "And it seems we are in luck, folks, as Tokyo's very own heroes have arrived at the scene!" Tyranitar gazing at them and shrugging, thinking, 'They don't look too threatening,' as Blaziken smirked, saying, "Alright, guys, you ready for this?" the others nodding.

With that, the reporter ran over and asked, "As obvious as the answer is, I must ask, why is it that you have come here?" Gallade smirking and replying, "We've come to fight for the side of justice!" Blaziken rolling her eyes and saying, "Yeah, that's about the gist of it."

"You're quite clever to have found this portal so soon," Tyranitar said with a menacing smirk as Gallade replied, "Not really. You are on live TV right now. It was only a matter of time," the dinosaur's eyes wide as his jaw dropped, Blaziken uttering, "You seriously didn't take that into account?"

Gardevoir simply stared at the portal and whispered, "He mentioned something about his allies being in there," Blaziken nodding and replying, "I remember that. One of us will have to distract him," Gallade smirking and replying, "Leave that to me. I've been itching for a fight."

However, just as the group was about agree, a female voice came from behind them saying, "No, you three should go on ahead," all three turning and seeing a familiar wolf standing there with her arms folded, Gardevoir's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "Auntie!" Gallade asking, "What are you doing here?"

Psyla smiled and said, "I was just about to head back to France when I saw the news and figured you might need some help," Blaziken laughing nervously and replying, "No offence, but you're in your fourties, right?"

"I hate to say it, but she's got a point," Gallade said, "Surely you've heard of how powerful this generation of villains is, right? Even the great Bouffalant is no longer strong enough to stand up to the forces of evil," Psyla simply smiling smugly and remarking, "Oh, trust me, I am far better than you could ever comprehend," waving a hand through her hair as even Gardevoir could not help but stare awkwardly at her.

The wolf then took a deep breath and replied, "Look, trust me on this one. I know I'm not young like you, but I know I can take this guy. I may not know what's going on inside that portal, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

Blaziken nodded, saying, "She's right, guys. If we don't hurry, something really bad might happen," Gallade staring at the wolf and saying, "So you're sure you'll be alright," Psyla rolling her eyes and remarking, "Yes, now go already."

Gardevoir nodded as the trio started advancing toward the portal, Tyranitar holding up his arms defensively and saying, "Hey, if you get any closer, you'll regret it deeply," only for Psyla to leap toward him, performing a series of flips before sending his feet hard into his skull.

This seemed to deal decent enough damage to distract the dinosaur while the other three entered the portal, Tyranitar fuming and grabbing Psyla's ankles. After that, he proceeded to swing her around, letting her fly hard into the wall, feeling beyond peeved right now. He had been trusted to guard the Reverse World and he had already failed to keep three heroes out.

As if that was not enough for him to handle, Throh and Sawk had arrived at this exact moment, Sawk saying, "Good thing we saw that report," Tyranitar turning and gritting his teeth only for Psyla to recover from his attack, propelling herself off the wall and sending her feet into the back of his head. Clearly she was a lot stronger than her age suggested.

The brothers simply stared at the wolf as she struck a fighting pose, saying, "Come at me if you're man enough," Tyranitar fuming and remarking, "Alright, whatever, my buddies can take care of these guys anyway! You've managed to piss me off, so I may as well focus on you!"

Throh and Sawk may not have known who this wolf woman was, but it was clear that she had the situation with this dinosaur under control. As such, the two simply nodded at one-another, gave Psyla thumbs up and ran through the portal.

Even so, Tyranitar's words were not to be taken lightly. After all, he and two others had already shown a great display of power earlier and there were five more to worry about. Would the five heroes in there truly be enough?

Meanwhile, the others were now in the Reverse World and it was a strange place to say the least. The world seemed to compose of various floating fragments of land. Some were faced like normal while others were tilted sideways. There were even waterfalls flowing sideways.

"Okay, this is officially the weirdest place I've ever been to," Blaziken said as Gardevoir looked on ahead and uttered, "How are we supposed to be able to get anywhere in this world?" the other two soon seeing what she meant as the land form they were standing on was not particularly big and seemed to cut off with no forms close enough to jump to.

That was the moment Throh and Sawk caught up with them, the group turning as Sawk smiled, saying, "Hey, we came to help," Gallade nodding and replying, "Thanks for taking the time, but I'm not sure if we can really do anything here."

The martial artists looked around as well, their eyes wide as even they could see right away how awkward just moving around in this world would be. How did the eight who entered manage to navigate?

And right now, Blaziken was thinking about that as she said, "Okay, there has to be a secret to this. If the others who came in here were able to distance themselves from the entrance, then there is definitely something we're not seeing."

Gallade took a deep breath, rubbing his finger against his temple before his eyes widened, the boy sprinting toward an edge that led to one of the sideways land forms, Gardevoir squeaking, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" the boy leaping off the edge when suddenly, his entire body was flipped around, the boy landing firmly against the surface.

Blaziken blinked and said, "I see. So the laws of gravity are different here," Gallade's eyes open with shock as he uttered, "I can't believe I just did that," his knees trembling all the while.

"You rule, Gallade!" Throh exclaimed as Gardevoir immediately leapt over to join her brother. She took a deep breath, glad that was not as scary or difficult as it looked and it was not long until the others joined the two.

During this time, Psyla was on the defensive as she knew Tyranitar would not just allow her to hit him again now that he knew she could fight back. However, the dinosaur was not going to wait for an attack as he charged toward her, Psyla smirking as she saw this as a perfect opportunity.

Once he was close enough, she immediately swerved to the right, sending a roundhouse toward his midsection. But much to her surprise, the dinosaur seemed to see this coming as he latched onto her ankle, growling, "Did you think another one of those kicks of yours would work on me!?" the wolf's eyes widening as Tyranitar added, "I get it. You're like all the others. You take one look at me and instantly assume I'm some kind of brutish moron who can't think straight! Well, I admit there are a lot of things I don't know, but when it comes to combat, I can figure out my opponents pretty quickly, and when you combine that with my strength, well, needless to say, it's a deadly combination!"

With that, the dinosaur lifted Psyla high above his head before ramming her back hard against the ground, her eyes widening as she ended up coughing up blood. Luckily, she did manage to free her ankle and roll away from him, but even so, the two hits she had taken in left her feeling pretty winded as she was already breathing rather heavily.

The sad fact was that Gallade was not completely wrong to assume Psyla's age would be her downfall during this match. As if Tyranitar's strength was not bad enough, the wolf had certainly gotten weaker over the years so even one simple hit from a brute like him would come close to feeling like Gallade's Psycho Cut.

Around this time, Lucario and Talonflame were getting close to Tokyo while Riolu was going as fast as he could without endangering anyone. He had to admit, he was kind of disappointed to be giving someone else a ride right now but even so, the dog was just glad to finally help his son out with something.

All the while, Talonflame was snickering at Lucario as he said, "Oh man, the irony is just wonderful," Lucario lightly ramming his elbow into the falcon's side as Riolu said, "Hey, if you two start a fight back there, I'm turning this shuttle around," the two folding their arms and groaning, "Sorry, sir."

Beedrill was also getting close as he took a deep breath, thinking, 'It's time to do what my father never did. I'm going to make a difference! Maybe then I can be a true hero!' letting out a sigh and remembering how he had killed a hero by the name of Watchog before sneaking into the academy disguised as him. It was his biggest regret, even bigger than tricking Machoke and trying to add him to the list of murder victims.

But how close had Machoke gotten and what exactly was Octillery's mode of transportation? Whatever it was, it would have to be really fast as Giratina had less than eight hours to rest up and regain full power.


	68. Chapter 68

Things were not looking so good for Psyla as she needed to find a way to strike Tyranitar without the dinosaur hitting her back. But what could she do? The element of surprise was no longer on her side and that last kick left her wide open for a powerful slam.

The dinosaur planted his fist against his palm and cracked his knuckles, saying, "You made a big mistake challenging me. I'll admit, you're quite pretty, but you'll still meet the same fate as Charizard," Psyla's eyes widening as she asked, "What happened to Charizard?"

Tyranitar smirked and rose one of his claws, holding it in front of his neck and making a slitting motion with it before saying, "Well, it wasn't exactly like that, but it did involve his neck breaking," the wolf trembling. However, there was something else Tyranitar said that had given her an idea.

"Excuse me," she uttered, the dinosaur raising an eyebrow as she asked, "What was that you said before the Charizard thing?" Tyranitar blinking and scratching his head while asking, "Wait, what did I say?" Psyla blushing lightly and smiling while saying, "You just called me pretty," the dinosaur's eyes going wide as he replied, "Oh yeah, I did, didn't I?"

With that, the wolf held her hands up to the sides of her face and squealed, "Oh, you make me feel young again!" Tyranitar's eyes widening as he asked, "Wait, how old are you?" Psyla ignoring the question and walking over to him, swishing her tail against him while placing an arm around his shoulder and stroking his chin, saying, "I have to admit, I'm a sucker for a big, strong man like you."

Tyranitar's cheeks were turning bright pink as he uttered, "Hold on, I'm still technically a minor," Psyla resting her head against his chest and cooing, "I may be an adult on the outside, but I'm still a teen on the inside," the dinosaur panicking and shouting, "OH GOD, I NEED AN ADULT!"

Once his guard was truly dropped, the wolf proceeded to latch onto the arm attached to the shoulder she had touched earlier. She then proceeded to lift her legs up, grabbing hold of his arm and exclaiming, "I'm flattered you didn't notice my ageing, but you're not my type! Besides, I abide by the law!"

Tyranitar's fear turned to extreme fury as he realized he had been tricked. As if that was not bad enough, he had been caught in a submission hold as his arm was taking in quite a bit of pain. However, the dinosaur knew he could not let Missingno down and as such, he complete ignoring the pain as he spread out his legs, swinging the arm Psyla was attached to in a circular motion.

Psyla's eyes widened as she could not believe this. She knew this would only cause the dinosaur more pain and yet he did not seem to care as he flung her hard into the wall for a second time, taking a deep breath and saying, "I will admit, you're the only one I've faced who's ever come close to being a real challenge, but that's not good enough."

During this time, the five heroes inside the Reverse World were carrying on, soon getting used to the strange way gravity worked here. But while they moved along, they soon came to a halt when they were standing face-to-face with Blitzle and Aegislash.

"Oh no, whatever shall we do!?" Blitzle spat, placing the back of his hoof against his forehead, "Alas, they have passed Tyranitar's iron build! However did they do it!?" Aegislash sighing, "Whatever the case is, I know they're probably nothing special. After all, there's five of them. They could have easily taken on Tyranitar at the same time."

"Actually, someone else is fighting him right now," Gallade replied, the two staring silently as Blaziken smirked, saying, "He was easily distracted, too, so getting by him wasn't much of a challenge."

Aegislash let out a sigh as Blitzle gasped, "Tyranitar, distracted!?" the sword shrugging and saying, "I would not put that past him for a second. You and I both know he is quite the hothead."

Blaziken took a deep breath and said, "Well, I guess two of us will have to take you on, eh?" Blitztle's eyes sparkling as he gasped, "You would be honourable enough to only face us two-on-two?" Aegislash shrugging and replying, "Methinks we can take all five of you, but if you'd rather take the more noble approach, I'm certainly not one to refuse."

Blitzle simply took a deep breath and said, "Well, I did finish a team match of my own not too long ago, but a true warrior must be willing to face any challenge thrown at him," Blaziken nodding and asking, "So, who wants to take them?"

"Don't you worry about a thing," Throh said as he stepped forward, "My brother and I can take these two no sweat," Sawk nodding and giving the other three thumbs up, saying, "You guys go on ahead. I have a good feeling about this one."

Gardevoir smiled lightly and said, "Good luck," but just as the two were about to advance forward, Aegislash turned to Blitzle and asked, "Do you intend to let them get away?" the zebra shaking his head and remarking, "I will never allow such a thing," before focusing hard as a volt of electricity came from his body, spreading across the ground and covering most of the land form, bars of electricity coming up out of the ground and forming a box around them.

"Impressed?" Blitzle asked while holding his hooves against his sides, "Welcome, on and all, to a type of match I invented myself, the electric cage death match!" Gallade and Gardevoir both scared as Blaziken gritted her teeth, grunting, "Of all the underhanded tactics!"

"Aegislash took a deep breath and said, "You were cutting that a tad close, my good sir," Blitzle replying, "Dreadfully sorry. Won't happen again."

All the while, Throh and Sawk were striking fighting stances while Sawk said, "Don't you guys worry about a thing. We'll take both of them down quickly and have this cage removed," Throh nodding and asking, "You ready, bro?" Sawk exclaiming, "I was born ready!" planting his fist against his palm.

The others really hoped this would turn out well. After all, with six other villains to worry about, all three would need to be at full strength.

While this was going on, Tyranitar was marching toward Psyla with murderous intent, saying, "It's a shame, really. Those others might have put up a better fight if you hadn't stopped them from facing me."

But just as he was about to end the wolf's life, his eyes widened when he noticed a space shuttle fly into the area. He was feeling very annoyed right now. As if letting five heroes through and being deceived by his opponent was not bad enough, now someone else had come to spoil his plans.

However, his irritation turned to actual panic when he noticed the one who emerged from the spaceship was Lucario alongside Talonflame. Sure, Tyranitar may not have known everything, but he knew full well who these two were, especially since he had been trained in the ways of evil along with them. And worst of all, he knew they had turned to the side of good so he could tell their presence was not a good sign.

On that note, Riolu asked, "Would you like me to give you a ride home when this is all over, son?" his eyes sparkling as Lucario face-palmed and sighed, "Well, as long as you're offering it," his father smiling bright as Talonflame whispered, "When did your dad become such a sap?"

Tyranitar, all the while, was trembling and uttering, "What are you two doing here?" Lucario raising an eyebrow and saying, "Never thought I'd see you again," Talonflame asking, "Still a bodyguard, eh? Are you ever gonna be able to think for yourself?"

The dinosaur's eyes twitched as Lucario noticed Psyla unable to move while up against the wall, the dog saying, "Well, looks like I'm going to have to finish what that woman over there started," Tyranitar taking a deep breath and remembering his duty, the dinosaur holding up his fists defensively as Talonflame placed a hand on Lucario's shoulder, saying, "Hey, you got to fight not too long ago. I haven't had an opponent in a long time. I want in on this."

However, while Tyranitar tried his best to look brave, everyone's eyes went wide when they heard a certain female voice grunting, "Don't waste your time on this guy!" Tyranitar turning with his eyes wide with shock, Psyla rising to her feet as she breathed heavily, a purple aura surrounding her paws as she panted, "I challenged him to a fight and I'm going to finish it!"

Talonflame was about to object when Lucario rested a hand on the falcon's shoulder, saying, "She's right. Whatever's happening in there, we should try to stop it as soon as possible," Talonflame rolling his eyes and remarking, "I hate when you're right," the two entering the portal as Tyranitar held out his arm, exclaiming, "Oh, come on, not you two!" before turning to Psyla with fury in his eyes.

"Alright, wolf, this time you're gonna stay down!" the dinosaur spat as he charged toward Psyla with his elbow out. However, the wolf was ready this time as she threw her arms forward, blocking the incoming strike.

"Clearly you've never heard of my family's power," Psyla said with a smirk as Tyranitar stared in shock, applying more force in an attempt to push her back only for the wolf to hold her ground. With that, she lifted up one of her paws and sent it hard into the dinosaur's face, his eyes widening as this sent him skidding back a bit.

The dinosaur was now twitching all over as he slowly rose his hand, rubbing the spot that had been hit. As if his attack being blocked was not bad enough, that palm punch had dealt a considerable amount of pain. But where had this come from?

It was not long, though, until he saw it, the purple glow as he took a deep breath, saying, "You just gave yourself more power, didn't you?" Psyla nodding and replying, "I save it as a last-minute resort as it only lasts me ten minutes. Fortunately for me, that's more than long enough to defeat you," the dinosaur gritting his teeth and retorting, "Alright, prove it!"

During this time, Throh and Sawk were locked in combat, Throh's hands pushing against Blitzle's hooves. The zebra's eyes were wide as he felt himself bending backward by the second, the red fighter clearly stronger than him.

All the while, Sawk was sending a slew of karate chops at Aegislash, the sword blocking each strike with her shield. However, she was unable to find a good opportunity to do anything else so it was only a matter of time until she lowered her guard and left herself open.

"Way to go, guys!" Gallade exclaimed, Blaziken not quite as enthusiastic as she said, "For their sakes, I hope this is good enough."

"Alas, I am not physically strong!" Blitzle exclaimed, "Oh, what a cruel fate, going up against something clearly superior to me in every way!" Aegislash rolling her eye while Throh smirked, saying, "Well, it takes a true man of honour to admit to something like that, but let me tell you something, if you try hard enough, you can become strong someday."

"Don't give him ideas, brother," Sawk sighed as Blitzle said, "Alas, that day shall never come," a grin then forming on his face as electricity coursed through him, Gardevoir whimpering as Blaziken spat, "THROH, GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Unfortunately, it was too late as Blitzle exclaimed, "SPARK!" sending a burst of electricity through Throh's veins, the martial artist's eyes widening as he backed up, breathing heavily while his body had a few burns on it now.

Aegislash also seemed confident as she said, "Well, sir, this has been an interesting experience, but I'm afraid I shall have to end this," the sword sending her free arm sideways and grabbing hold of Sawk's wrist, his eyes widening as she spat, "KING'S SHIELD!" ramming her shield hard into the blue fighter's midsection while said object glowed white.

Sawk coughed up a bit of blood, the fighter not believing it. He had only taken in one hit and already, Aegislash had drawn blood. To make matters worse, this was far from over.

Throh attempted to grab Blitzle only for the zebra to get down on all fours and start dodging him every time he got close. The zebra had a joyful look in his eyes as he sighed, "Oh, how glorious it is to be able to outrun so many opponents! I cannot remember the last time I had it so easy!"

"Oh no, they were toying with them," Blaziken groaned, Gardevoir now scared for Throh and Sawk's safety, Blitzle running behind Throh after one more attempt at a grab and lifting up his back legs, sending them hard into the fighter's back. This caused enough force to send him flying into the cage, his eyes widening as he took in a powerful shock.

Sawk turned and spat, "BROTHER!" Aegislash saying, "You shouldn't turn your back to your opponent," the sword wrapping her arms around him and leaping backward, Sawk's head slightly above her head, or rather sword guard while she rammed it hard into the cage.

"I do say, Blitzle, this electric cage of yours is most brilliant!" Aegislash exclaimed as Blitzle's eyes sparkled, the zebra letting down a light tear and sniffing, "It means so much to hear you say that! Thank you!"

Both Throh and Sawk were breathing heavily but were not going to let this take them down as they rushed toward the two, Blitzle gulping as Aegislash backed up toward him, saying, "Let us give them something to remember most fondly," Blitzle nodding and saying, "Of course," before grabbing the sword by her handle and flipping her upside down.

After that, Aegislash proceeded to attack her shield to her blade while folding her arms behind her back, both villains shouting, "THUNDER SWORD!" Blitzle sending his spark into Aegislash as electricity surrounded her.

Throh and Sawk ignored this as they Sawk sent a karate chop toward the two only for Blitzle to swing Aegislash's blade into wrist, the boy's eyes widening when not only did this send more electricity through him, but the force of the blade was enough to cut his hand clean off.

Throh's eyes widening as he backed away from the villains, shouting, "SAWK!" the other three staring in absolute horror. They could not believe what they had seen as Aegislash said, "I dare say, that felt most delightful," Blitzle sighing, "Alas, it is such a cruel fate to befall one so noble as he, but it had to be done."

Sawk was trembling all over as he stared at his wrist, blood dripping from it as Throh gritted his teeth, shouting, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

Blitzle's eyes widened as the red fighter charged toward him, grabbing hold of him and sending him back-first toward the bars. However, Blitzle did not seem the least bit worried as when Throh forced his back up against the cage, the electricity dealt no damage but instead ended up travelling into Throh.

The fighter's eyes and mouth were wide open as Blitzle released his hold on Aegislash, the sword spreading out her arms along with her shield and grabbing hold of her handle with the hand that was not carrying the defensive object. With that, her blade glowed a light blue colour as she sent it downward across Throh's chest shouting, "SACRED SWORD!"

The fighter's eyes widened as he coughed up blood, a big gash now going down his chest as he fell hard on his back. Sawk wanted so desperately to go in there and continue fighting but the blood loss was getting to him as he started to feel faint, quickly passing out.

Gardevoir clasped her hands over her mouth and squeaked in terror, Gallade patting her reassuringly on the shoulder but not sure whether or not he could remain calm in this situation. It was clear that neither fighter would be able to continue.

"Oh, what glorious fortune!" Blitzle exclaimed, his eyes sparkling all the while, "We have slain our enemies and become triumphant!" Aegislash sighing, "We have not slain them. We have simply knocked them unconscious," Blaziken gritting her teeth as the sword rolled her eye, sighing, "Worry not, dear fowl, for we have no intention of ending their lives. At least for as long as we know you three are capable of fighting us."

Blaziken gritted her teeth, cracking her knuckles as Gardevoir gulped, uttering, "I want to fight," Gallade about to volunteer to team up with his sister when the chicken said, "Sorry, Gallade, but I'm gonna take this one! These two have just gotten under my skin, and there's no way I'll let them get away with that!"

Blitzle blinked and said, "She looks serious," Aegislash snickering and saying, "I would not worry too much about these two. They are merely a minor inconvenience, just like the other two who fought us."

With that, both girls were ready to fight, Gardevoir taking a deep breath thinking, 'I was hoping Machoke would be here to see me use my new power for the first time, but I guess there's no sense holding back.'

Speaking of Machoke, he, Octillery and Gothitelle were currently closing in on Tokyo while riding in a rather fast submarine. To make it obvious it belonged to Octillery, it was designed to look just like her. But while it was certainly amazingly fast, what with how it managed to come all the way from Hawaii to Japan in such a short period of time, the boy wished it would go faster. He felt like he was letting his friends down right now.

Although he was not the only one getting close as Beedrill's spaceship was closing in. Considering Riolu had left around the same time and had to stop to pick up his son from London, the wasp should have definitely arrived first, but while Riolu had been travelling with light-speed, Beedrill had chosen to go at a more steady pace. This was mainly due to Weedle giving him a quick phone call to tell him about how he once crash-landed on Earth when going at that very speed.

As he got closer and closer, the wasp narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'No more am I going to just sit back and give orders! I served these monsters long enough! It's time to fight them and do my family proud!'

Meanwhile, Weedle was in his office as he let out a sigh. He simply could not help but worry about his son right now, let alone the fate of Earth.

With all of this in mind, the caterpillar crawled over to his phone and picked it up, dialling in a new numbers. He waited for a few seconds before someone picked up on the other end, Weedle saying, "Hey, Hivewire, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

While all of this was going on, Psyla had truly gotten the upper hand as Tyranitar sent a punch toward her face only for the wolf to block it with her palm, a smirk on her face as she proceeded to tighten her grip on his hand. The dinosaur's eyes widened as the wolf lifted him high above her head, leaning backward and planting his back hard against the ground.

The people watching at home cheered as the reporter exclaimed, "And in a stunning display, this mysterious wolf person has increased her strength exponentially! Now she's strong enough to lift that monster over her head!" the woman then squealing, "Oh my god, did I just sound like Nori!?"

Before Tyranitar could retaliate, Psyla proceeded to climb onto his back, latching onto his ankles and pulling his legs up, the dinosaur roaring in pain as the sound of bones cracking filled the area. He simply could not believe it. Where had all this strength come from?

However, even with all of her strength, Tyranitar could not allow the wolf woman to win. He knew he would be letting Missingno and the rest of the team down if he did and as such, he gritted his teeth and started to focus hard, his leg muscles beginning to expand.

Psyla blinked, her eyes widening as Tyranitar smirked, saying, "Unfortunately for you, I got a little power of my own, and this is a family move as well! See, what I do is transfer my strongest of bones to any part of my body that I want, and right now, I'm picking my legs!"

Psyla's eyes widened as it seemed his words were true, the dinosaur throwing his legs back and sending her flying head-first into the wall once more. Thanks to the power she had, she was able to handle the pain more, but it was still alarming that Tyranitar had gotten free from her hold.

"You should feel honoured right now," Tyranitar said with a smirk, "I don't use that ability very often. In fact, this is the first time I've ever used it in battle because no one's ever been challenging enough for me to need it!"

Psyla simply gritted her teeth and refused to let this bother her as she charged toward the dinosaur, sending another palm punch only for Tyranitar to bulk up his chest. When the wolf's hand collided, her eyes widened as the dinosaur simply winced in response but nothing more. In fact, it was a miracle that had even dealt a slight bit of pain.

Tyranitar then proceeded to transfer his muscles into his arms as he grabbed hold of Psyla's shoulder with one hand, lifting up the other and balling it up into a fist. With that, he spat, "BIG PULVERIZER!" sending the fist hard into the wolf's face, Psyla coughing up blood and flying backwards and falling hard on her back, skidding against the ground and once again colliding with the wall.

"You must really like that wall," Tyranitar said tauntingly, Psyla too shaken up to be annoyed by these childish words. Even with her power, she was still outmatched.

And of course Blaziken and Gardevoir would not have it easy in their fight against Aegislash and Blitzle. After the way they had defeated Throh and Sawk, the girls could tell this would not be easy. Although with Beedrill and Machoke getting close and Lucario and Talonflame getting close to their location, perhaps things would look up. Only time would tell and there was not a whole lot of that.


	69. Chapter 69

Note: If you're wondering why nothing is progressing in one match while another is taking place, it's because when I go to each scene, I'm essentially turning time back in the story to show what was happening during the previously mentioned scene. No one's asked about that yet, but I'm getting this out there for anyone confused by this.

Blitzle and Aegislash were ready as Blaziken took a deep breath, asking, "Are you sure you want to face these two?" Gardevoir nodding and replying, "I trained long and hard for a moment like this. I'm not letting this chance go," Gallade groaning while thinking, 'I should be fighting by her side instead of Blaziken. I'm her brother, for God's sake!'

Aegislash simply folded her arms, saying, "You know, you two can start whenever you are ready," Blitzle smirking and adding, "It matters not, though. We will still be victorious in this duel between teams," his confidence having received a boost after getting two easy victories in a row.

Blaziken shrugged and said, "Well, since you asked so nicely-" only for Gardevoir to grab her shoulder, whispering, "Wait, we need to think about this. These two are really strong."

"Yeah, that's why we gotta overpower them," the chicken remarked as the girl shook her head and said, "No, we need to come up with a way to catch them off-guard," Aegislash folding her arms and sighing, "My patience is waring thin."

Blaziken gritted her teeth, grunting, "Mine too," Gardevoir sighing, "We can't barrel in there without thinking. Remember what your rashness did during your match with Onix," the chicken wincing and groaning, "Okay, you've made your point. What did you have in mind?"

"Now, I've noticed Aegislash seems to be the more physically strong while Blitzle is faster," Gardevoir whispered, "Therefor it would make sense for me to go after Blitzle while you go after Aegislash," Blaziken grinning and replying, "I was thinking that anyway," the girl smiling bright as the two bumped their fists together.

"Are you done talking?" Aegislash asked, rolling her eye as Blitzle grinned, stating, "It matters not what you come up with! We will dominate you in the end and reign supreme!" the sword staring at him and asking, "When did you become so full of yourself?"

Instead of answering the first question, Blaziken figured she would let her actions speak for her as she sprinted toward Aegislash, sending a roundhouse toward her face. However, the sword was ready as she held her shield in front of said spot, blocking the incoming kick. Blaziken ignored this and sent another kick toward her side, her eyes widening when she suddenly realized she would only end up cutting herself if she went through with this.

Aegislash saw a perfect opportunity as she said, "I'll admit, your strategy was sound, but the fact that you didn't factor in such an obvious flaw is laughable," the sword them grabbing onto the chicken's ankle and hurling her face-first into the bars.

Gardevoir, however, seemed to be doing a slightly better job as she rushed at Blitzle, the zebra sending his hoof toward her. The girl easily dodged gracefully to the right before sending the back of her hand hard into the side of his face, his eyes widening as he backed up, rubbing his cheek.

However, it was at this very moment that the girl noticed Blaziken already covered in burn marks from the electricity. Her eyes widening as Blitzle noticed this, sighing and thinking, 'Forgive me for this disgraceful display, family,' the zebra sending hard punch into the girl's gut.

With that, he proceeded to grab hold of her shoulder, leaning backward while lifting her up and sending her flying into the cage as well. The girl squeaked in agony as Gallade spat, "SIS!" now wishing he could take her place.

Psyla, of course, was not having it much better as that punch Tyranitar had dealt really hurt. Terror was running through her veins now as she needed a way to harm him. All the while, the dinosaur simply stood there and smirked, waving his hand menacingly toward himself.

The wolf took a deep breath when suddenly, an idea came to her, her eyes widening as she resisted the urge to start swishing her tail. After all, if she showed too much positivity, the dinosaur might catch onto her strategy. As such, she simply rushed toward him once more with her palm at the ready.

But just before, the dinosaur simply puffed up his chest as he said, "You might be really desperate to try that again," only for the wolf to have a different plan as she noticed he had used the muscles in his arms to increase his chest strength. As such, she separated her palms and went straight for his shoulders.

However, Tyranitar quickly returned the muscle mass to his arms to cushion the incoming blow, Psyla's eyes going wide as he latching his arms onto her wrists, the wolf howling in pain. Tyranitar all the while kept his smirk on his face as he stated, "Like I told you, I may not be the brightest bulb out there, but I can read my opponents pretty quickly. I knew you'd catch onto the biggest weakness of my muscle transfer technique, and it took about as long as it normally would."

With that, the dinosaur proceeded to lean backward, lifting the wolf up and slamming her back hard into the ground. With the, the dinosaur laughed wickedly and said, "Again, you've actually managed to provide a descent challenge for me, but it's not enough," before leaning down and pointing his claws at her neck.

But just as it looked like he was about to kill her, a voice entered the area shouting, "NOT SO FAST, VILLAIN!" the dinosaur turning and noticing Beedrill standing right there with a serious look in his eyes.

"Beedrill?" Tyranitar asked, "And here I thought I had something to worry about," the wasp remarking, "Come on, not even you can be dumb enough not to know why I'm here!"

"Yeah, I know why you're here," the dinosaur stated, "I'm just not the least bit scared of you is all," the wasp's eyes widening as Tyranitar let out a sigh, shrugged his shoulders and added, "I can't say I'm surprised to see you become a lapdog for the government. Honestly, you were always kind of a weakling."

Beedrill's eye twitched as he retorted, "What!?" Tyranitar saying, "We've all heard of your humiliating loss to Machoke. Wasn't he the first hero you ever fought?" Beedrill remarking, "So what!? Every villain's lost to him!" Tyranitar replying, "True, but they lost to him when he actually knew what he was doing. You on the other hand faced him before he had combat experience. There's no reason you should have lost."

Beedrill held up his needles and spat, "SAY THAT TO MY FACE!" only for Psyla to once again recover, breathing heavily and saying, "Look, Mister Chairman, sir, I've got this," Tyranitar slapping his forehead and sighing, "Note to self. Don't let the next idiot who comes along distract you."

"Are you sure?" Beedrill asked, "You look really beat up," Psyla shaking her head and remarking, "It's much more important you go in there and help out the others right now. I don't know what's going on in there, but there has to be a reason these people are trying to stop us from getting in."

"There is," Beedrill replied, "My father told me this is the world Giratina was born in. Since it's open, I'm guessing he was one of the villains who entered right?" Tyranitar's eyes and mouth wide open as the reporter, who had actually been there the whole time said, "And you've just heard it yourself, folks! Legendary demon Giratina has been revived and is currently taking residence in this world, which is apparently his home! One can only wonder what he is up to in there!"

"In that case, you should definitely hurry," Psyla said as Beedrill took a deep breath, saying, "Of course," flying through the portal as Tyranitar groaned, "Fine! Anyone who wants to enter, be my guest! You're still no match for my buds!"

The dinosaur then turned to Psyla, the wolf freaking out and backing up as he smirked, saying, "You know, you're a persistent one. Most opponents would have fallen long before now. You really should just accept the help you're being offered, not that it'll be good enough."

Psyla then looked down at her paws and remembered something that had happened during Machoke's match with Lucario. Machoke had unleashed an amazing defensive manoeuvre called the Mach Cover. It seemed unstoppable until Lucario pierced his flesh with his spikes, rendering it useless.

And the truth was that Psyla had a way of getting around the dinosaur's defence. So why was she not using it? Well, there was a reason as she had a look of distress on her face, horrible memories flooding back to her.

There was a time when the wolf would rely on a set of retractable claws. She came up with quite a few moves involving them and they were her ultimate weapon as she would strike down even the mightiest of foes with them.

However, things took a turn for worse when the twenty-first Hero Olympics came along and the elimination tournaments had started up. The wolf had been pitted up against a boy wearing a round white shirt with pink ball-like attachments on it named Mr. Mime.

This was the first time Psyla had ever fought a fellow hero. Since she was not used to this, she simply treated the boy like any villain she had faced and attacked mercilessly. This was before she could control the family power and as such, she did need to take quite a beating from the mime before it activated.

When it did, she used her claws to shatter an invisible wall that he had formed countless times throughout the match. After that, she spun like a wheel toward him shouting, "BLADE STEAMROLLER!" striking him hard across the chest.

However, what happened next would scar her for life, her eyes going wide when she noticed just how much damage she had dealt. Not only had she formed a big gash on his chest, not only was blood flying out, but she could actually see one of his organs emerge.

Luckily, it did go back in when he fell on his back and since heroes could sustain worse damage than humans could, he was still alive. However, Psyla was absolutely devastated that she had done so much damage to a hero and as such, she dropped out of the elimination tournament thus costing her a spot in the Olympics. And as a means of redeeming herself, she swore never to use her claws for battle again, even if she was going up against a villain. She never wanted to bring anyone that close to death ever again.

As if that was not bad enough, Blaziken and Gardevoir were both feeling weak as Gardevoir whimpered, "They're so dangerous," Blaziken nodding and replying, "Whatever. We're used to dealing with freaks like this."

But just as the two were about to continue, a familiar British voice entered the area saying, "I figured you guys would already be here," Gardevoir, Blaziken and Gallade all staring when they saw Lucario standing there. Though they were absolutely horrified when they saw Talonflame next to him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE!?" Blaziken snapped, pointing at the falcon as Aegislash folded her arms, saying, "That's a very good question," before glaring at Lucario and adding, "You have some nerve showing your face around here, traitor!"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Lucario asked as Blitzle gasped, "HE DOES NOT REMEMBER US!" Aegislash sighing, "Well, it is not as if we ever actually spoke to him, but even without that in mind, everyone knows about you and how you just suddenly decided to turn good."

"For your information, I became neutral," Lucario remarked, "but honestly, I don't mind being the good guy. At least now I have real friends," Gallade blinking and saying, "That's wonderful and all, but seriously, what the hell is Talonflame doing with you?"

Talonflame rolled his eyes and remarked, "Look, I can't blame you for being intimidated right now, but mark my words when I say I'm also on the side of good now," the others staring suspiciously until Lucario sighed, "He's telling the truth."

Gardevoir smiled lightly and nodded, saying, "I could see it in his eyes. He's not lying," Gallade shrugging and replying, "Well, that confirms it."

"It matters not," Aegislash said, shaking her head, "This area is surrounded by electricity that cannot be passed through, so you cannot fight in the place of these two," Blitzle gulped nervously, feeling beyond relieved to hear these words as he knew how strong Lucario and Talonflame were.

Talonflame simply folded his arms and asked tauntingly, "What's wrong? Chicken?" Lucario all the while gritting his teeth until Gardevoir gulped, saying, "It's fine, guys," Blaziken nodding and adding, "Look, I get the feeling we won't have much time to end this whole thing, so you guys should go on ahead as long as you're not bound by this cage.

Aegislash's eye widened as she turned to Blitzle and asked, "Can you form another cage around them?" the zebra shaking his head and replying, "I can only form one cage at a time. If I do that, this cage will disappear."

Aegislash simply let out a sigh and remarked, "It's worth it," the zebra nodding before focusing hard. This caused the cage to sink into the ground as the electricity travelled under Talonflame and Lucario, rising up and forming a cage around them as Talonflame blinked, uttering, "Are you shitting me?"

Gardevoir's eyes widened as Gallade spat, "Oh, come on, that's low!" Lucario and Talonflame both folding their arms as they naturally felt upset about being forced onto the sidelines.

However, Blaziken knew this would make things easier for them as she said, "Well, at least we're not trapped in the cage anymore," the chicken turning to Gallade and saying, "You go on ahead and see what you can do. We'll keep these two busy."

Blitzle gasped and spat, "Oh no you don't, ruffian!" only for Gardevoir to leap at Blitzle, kicking him in the back of the head and distracting him long enough for Gallade to take his leave, Aegislash simply allowing this.

Gardevoir quickly returned to Blaziken's side as Blitzle turned to Aegislash, asking, "Why didn't you try to stop him!?" Aegislash sighing, "Look, the only reason I kept them busy was because I knew three would be a lot more annoying than one of them. At least with that one boy by himself, he won't be too much of a threat."

"You shouldn't underestimate Gallade," Blaziken said with a smirk, "He might prove more trouble to your plans than you first thought," Talonflame cutting in and asking, "Are we talking about the same guy who barely put up a decent fight against Scyther?" the chicken scowling at him and growling, "HEY, ARE YOU REALLY ON OUR SIDE OR NOT!?" the falcon shrugging and remarking, "Hey, I'm just telling it like it is."

Whatever the case, Gardevoir simply tapped Blaziken on the shoulder and uttered, "I don't normally lose patience, but we're wasting time," the chicken turning to her as she whimpered, "I hate to admit it, but I do worry about my brother. It used to be him protecting me all the time, but ever since I beat Scrafty, it's been the opposite. He might be able to beat one of them, but I don't even think you could handle more than one let alone him."

Blaziken took a deep breath and said, "You're right. Not only do we need to help him out if he gets in a serious bind but we also need to save the strongest fighters here."

Talonflame's eyes widened as the chicken groaned, "Yes, I admit it! You're better than me!" the falcon grinning smugly as Lucario shot him a glare, Talonflame sighing, "Even if that is true, I'm still counting on you, Blaziken. I didn't mean all those terrible things I said about you during our match. I know I said things to make you feel weak, but I was only doing that to drop your guard. The truth is, I think you do have what it takes to carry on your family legacy and maybe even outdo your mom, but seeing you covered in burn marks right now is not helping things."

Blaziken smirked and gave the falcon thumbs up, saying, "Don't you worry about a thing. I'm just getting warmed up."

"Okay, are you done?" Aegislash asked, "I say, it feels like we've spent most of our time standing around talking and not much time at all fighting," Blitzle staring at what appeared to be nothing with a nervous look in his eyes.

With that in mind, Blaziken and Gardevoir nodded at one-another and rushed toward their opponents again. This time Blaziken would not make the stupid mistake of trying to attack to the side of Aegislash's blade as she propelled herself up into the air and flipped her body around with her foot on fire.

Aegislash simply held up her shield, once again blocking Blaziken's foot. However, when her kick collided, the chicken simply used her foot to stand on top of it before kneeling down too quickly for the sword to react. Blaziken then proceeded to lean forward far enough to grab hold of Aegislash's handle thus knocking her on her back.

Talonflame smirked and said, "I never would have come up with that, I have to admit," Aegislash frowning as Blaziken proceeded to unleash another burning axe kick, this time sending it into the sword's blade.

All the while, Blitzle had attempted to strike Gardevoir with his hooves again only this time, she was more alert and not letting anything distract her. And after dodging a few hits, she proceeded to send a hard palm punch into his cheek before laying on a few more slaps, sending a palm uppercut into his chin and getting him to back up a bit.

It did not end there, though, as Blaziken was on her back, wrapping her legs around Aegislash's neck and holding tight with a figure four leg lock, a smirk on her face as Talonflame smirked, saying, "That's the Blaziken I know," Blitzle seeing this and trembling with fear. Things were finally starting to look up now.

Unfortunately, Psyla still needed a way to start harming Tyranitar again. At the rate she was going, the odds of victory were low and thanks to her vow, she could not bring herself to use her claws.

However, at that very moment, a certain someone had shown up in the area along with two others. However, it was not Machoke, Octillery and Gothitelle but rather Reika, Cici and Tsuya, both having been witnessing some of the match on TV.

Tyranitar briefly turned his gaze over but refused to turn away from Psyla and give her another chance to fight back before shrugging and saying, "At least it's not another hero," the wolf staring and saying, "You're Gardevoir's friends."

"Yeah," Reika replied, "We feel we have to support the others as best as we can," Psyla remarking, "No! Even without going in myself, I can guarantee it'll be too dangerous!"

"Even so, we can't just sit around and do nothing all the time," Tsuya remarked as Tyranitar smirked, saying, "I wouldn't go in there if I were you. She's right, humans like you will likely die in there even if my buddies don't catch you."

"In that case, we'll stay here and give our support," Reika stated as she and the others decided to stand on the sidelines, Tyranitar saying, "Good, you can see her lose up-close."

It was around this time that Machoke was starting to get close. But even with the speed of the submarine, it was still likely to take him somewhere between thirty minutes and one hour to get to the Tokyo Dome. Hopefully that would be fast enough for him to be of help.


	70. Chapter 70

While things were looking up for Blaziken and Gardevoir, the same could not be said for Psyla. Sure, she now had Reika and her friends there to give her support, but was that really good enough? After all, she had no way of hurting Tyranitar, especially since her one logical strategy could easily be countered.

Tyranitar's words had not been mere boasting. He really was surprisingly smart in combat and as such, he was a major threat. What could Psyla possibly do?

While this went on, Blaziken still had Aegislash in her leg lock while Blitzle was trying to find a way to hit Gardevoir without being struck again. All the while, Lucario and Talonflame were hoping this would be over with quickly as they wanted to get out of their cage soon.

However, while Blitzle was trying to find a way to beat Gardevoir, Aegislash had to admit she needed his help to get out of this hold right now as she groaned, "Forget about the girl for a second and assist me, sir!" the zebra turning to face her as he nodded, exclaiming, "Right!"

But just as he was about to sprint over, Gardevoir refused to let him do this as she dashed in front of him, sending her elbow into his neck. Aegislash groaned as Blaziken smirked, saying, "Seems like your ally's tied up."

However, Blitzle could not help but feel useless right now as he frowned, the zebra getting down on all fours and exclaiming, "Out of the way, girl!" Gardevoir holding up a defensive stance as the zebra sighed, "Don't say I didn't warn you," before shouting, "WILD CHARGE!"

Electricity surrounded his body as he let out a loud battle cry, charging toward Gardevoir as the girl held out her arms in an attempt to stop him. Unfortunately, when his head made contact with her palms, she ended up taking in a big surge of electricity as she cried out in pain, Blitzle forcing her forward until she ended up colliding with Blaziken.

The chicken's eyes widened as she was sent flying away from Aegislash, Blitzle coming to a halt and allowing Gardevoir to fly away from him as well. However, this ended up being worse as the girl was sent over the edge of the land form they were on.

Seeing, this Blaziken's eyes went even wider as she pushed herself up, shouting, "GARDEVOIR!" before spotting the girl's hand hanging onto the edge, Lucario and Talonflame staring with wide eyes. Even they had feared the worst after seeing that.

However, it seemed Gardevoir might not have been saved as Aegislash said, "Blitzle, keep the chicken busy. I'll take care of the girl," the zebra giving an army salute and replying, "You can count on me, for I am the great, mighty, powerful-" Aegislash sighing, "Don't give her time to react."

However, during Blitzle's dramatic speech, Blaziken had already started sprinting over to the edge. Unfortunately, Blitzle was a lot faster than she was and as such, he easily managed to dash in front of her, covering himself in electricity before sending his hoof into her chest. This kept Blaziken distracted long enough for Aegislash to hop over to Gardevoir's hand, the girl's eyes widening as the sword gazed down at her, saying, "You do realize that drop is endless, right?"

Blaziken's eyes widened as she tried to help out only for Blitzle to once again send his hoof into her chest, the chicken crying out in pain as more electricity coursed through her veins. Lucario groaned while Talonflame wished he could be fighting in her stead right now.

Meanwhile, Beedrill was flying around the area. Thanks to his flight, he was not bound by the Reverse World's strange gravity and move freely as much as he wanted. As much as the wasp hated to do this, he was trying to avoid having to face the other villains. His aim was to attack Giratina and possibly take him down, knowing that he would be the biggest threat.

Even so, the Reverse World seemed to be a rather big place as he was drawing a blank. Maybe he should have instead tried looking for the others and teamed up with them.

Gallade, all the while, was still running through the world, feeling like he would be ready to take on anyone who dared get in his way. At least he hoped that would be the case.

All the while, Psyla's fight with Tyranitar continued as the dinosaur folded his arms, saying, "Go on, try to hit me. I dare you," the wolf gritting her teeth as Reika spat, "Come on, Psyla, you can do it! Remember, even the mightiest of bodies can take in damage from making hard contact with the floor!"

Psyla's eyes widened as she realized she might not need her claws. With that in mind, she proceeded to dash toward Tyranitar with her palm at the ready only for the dinosaur to once again expand his chest, asking, "You're really desperate, aren't you!?"

However, Psyla had another plan as she dashed behind him, his eyes widening as she wrapped her arms around him, smirking and saying, "If I wasn't using my power right now, this wouldn't work, but luckily, I have the power to lift even someone as heavy as you," the wolf then trying her hardest, Tyranitar now frightened when she actually managed to lift him up off of his feet.

With that, she leaned backward as Tyranitar quickly transferred muscles to his head as said spot hit the ground hard. Unfortunately for Psyla, it seemed his strategy had worked as he ended up taking no pain from the Suplex, a smirk on his face as he latched his ankles around her neck, the wolf's eyes widening.

"Oh no!" Cici squeaked as Tyranitar performed a handstand, lifting Psyla above him before sending her head hard into the ground with a frankensteiner. Unlike the wolf's move, this actually worked as she coughed up blood, the dinosaur allowing the rest of her body to collapse.

To make matters worse, the violet glow on Psyla's paws had left her as ten minutes were up. Since her power was still activated when she took in the blow to her head, she had not taken in too much damage, but that hardly mattered. Even with the power, she could not hurt Tyranitar when he was using his muscle transference and with her power gone, there was no way she could stand a chance anymore.

"Well, I'll give you props," Tyranitar said before lifting her up and wrapping his arms around her, expanding his forearms to increase his grip, "You've got spirit! But honestly, you never had a chance of winning! No one has ever beaten me and there's a good reason for that!"

Reika and her friends stared in horror before cheering Psyla on, knowing this was the best they could do for her right now. However, their words were not enough as the wolf grinned weakly, uttering, "Don't waste your breath. I tried my best and failed. That's all there is to it. I try to fake it, but I'm really too old to be fighting evil."

"NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Cici squeaked, "IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE! THERE WAS ONCE A HUMAN WHO WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO STAND UP TO BEINGS LIKE YOU AT THE SAME AGE! IF A HUMAN CAN PULL THAT OFF, SO CAN YOU!"

Psyla's eyes widened as she knew exactly who Cici was referring to. Hyun was very famous, so it was obvious she was the subject here.

And Cici did make a very good point, and right now, Psyla would need to do everything in her power if she was to at least defeat one of these villains. This meant ignoring her past and no longer holding back. She would need to forget the vow she made to herself and unleash her full potential.

As such, she bared her fangs and planted her paws against Tyranitar's back, the dinosaur asking, "What the hell? Do you seriously think a bear hug would work on me?" his eyes then widening when Psyla's claws came from her fingertips and pierced the dinosaur's back, blood dripping down as not even he could ignore pain like this.

As such, he let out a loud cry of pain, spread his arms out instinctively as Psyla spat, "MANDABLE CLAW!" throwing her own arms out and scraping her claws along his back, putting deep gashes on it as blood squirted out.

Tyranitar cried even louder now as Psyla backed up, breathing heavily while blood dripping from her claws, her fangs still bared. Reika and the others simply smiled wide and cheered while the news reporter summarized everything to the viewers at home.

Of course, Psyla's onslaught was only just beginning as she rushed at Tyranitar with her claws at the ready, the dinosaur quickly puffing up his chest while she scratched his chest repeatedly. This put many cuts on him as he cried out in pain, his muscles returning to their original spot as he breathed heavily.

Since his body was so tough, these scratches were not dealing too serious of damage to him just yet, so why was he in so much pain? Simply put, it was because he was used to never taking in extreme damage during a fight. It was just as he had said. Psyla was the first to even bring out his muscle transfer technique and no one had ever come close to drawing blood from him. So right now, he was feeling more pain than he should have been.

"I see now," Psyla said with a smirk before leaping toward him and pointing her claws forward with her hands cupped together, spinning like a drill and exclaiming, "YOU ACT TOUGH, BUT ONCE THINGS ARE TURNED AGAINST YOU, YOU BECOME A TOTAL SOFTIE!"

Tyranitar was too scared to move out of the way as the wolf spat, "WOLF FANG DRILL!" sending her claws hard into his gut as he roared in pain, blood flying while Reika exclaimed, "YOU'RE SO COOL, MISS GARDEVOIR'S AUNT!" Cici smiling softly, glad her words had meant something.

Unfortunately, things were not going so well for Gardevoir and Blaziken, the chicken unable to focus on saving her friend and facing Blitzle at the same time. Because of this, the zebra was sending punch after punch into her while she was too busy trying to save Gardevoir's life to even try countering.

Aegislash laughed wickedly, jumping up slightly before driving the tip of her blade hard into Gardevoir's wrist, the girl just about to cry out in pain before biting her lower lip. Everyone stared in absolute shock as they could not believe it. Even with her strength like it was, Gardevoir was not the type to just ignore pain like that, especially now that her wrist was bleeding.

However, she ended up surprising everyone even more when she smiled cutely, saying, "I was hoping you would do that," Aegislash's eye widening as the girl seemed to use Aegislash's blade tip for leverage as she flipped her entire body one-hundred-and-eighty degrees and sending her foot hard into the sword's face.

Aegislash was now on her back as Gardevoir breathed heavily, trying her best not to look like she was in intense pain as Blaziken grinned, asking, "Were you really planning that all along?" Gardevoir nodding and saying, "Yeah, watching Machoke has helped me come up with creative ways to get out of tight spots."

"That hardly matters!" Blitzle spat as he was just about to strike Blaziken again only for the chicken to dodge his incoming strike and latch her arm around his. She then allowed herself to fall thus bringing the zebra down with him and sending his chin hard against the ground, how holding tightly onto his arm.

However, Blitzle had other plans as he gritted his teeth, electricity coursing through him and covering Blaziken. However, the chicken chose to ignore it as she exclaimed, "IF GARDEVOIR CAN PULL IT OFF, SO CAN I!"

Strangely enough, this actually seemed quite effective as after a few seconds, Blitzle stopped releasing electricity, his eyes wide with shock. Blaziken smirked and said, "I see now. Your electricity only works for a few seconds at a time," Blitzle letting down tears and groaning, "Why?"

Aegislash of course recovered just in time to see this happening as she fumed, leaping back and performing a handstand with her blade pointed at the chicken. But before she could do a thing, Gardevoir proceeded to grab her by her handle and lift the sword high above her head, leaning backward and planting her hard into the ground.

Her eyes sparkled as she squealed, "OH MY GOD, I USED A SLAM MOVE THAT WASN'T METEOR BOMB!" Aegislash now actually feeling a twinge of fear. Things had been going so well for them and yet now these two were proving to be incredibly strong opponents.

All the while, Lucario grinned and said, "I knew she had it in her. She just keeps getting stronger all the time," Talonflame nodding and replying, "I have to admit, letting herself get stabbed was really ballsy. I thought she was a wimp."

Gardevoir could not believe she had pulled that off herself. She had not even activated her new power yet and had pulled off two incredible feats a younger her would have never thought of so much as trying. Things were certainly looking up now.

And things were also looking good for Psyla as Tyranitar was breathing heavily, his body covered in blood now. When the wolf went in to deliver another hit, the dinosaur attempted to transfer his muscles to the targeted spot only for more blood to fly from him when he did so, causing him more pain. He could not believe it. Thanks to all these cuts, his greatest defensive tactic had been rendered useless as he took in two fierce blows to his shoulders, the dinosaur backing up with terror in his eyes.

Psyla smirked and said, "Thank you, girl. You helped me get over a fear I've had for years. I don't know what I would have done without your encouragement."

Cici smiled warmly as Tyranitar gritted his teeth, thinking, 'No! It can't end like this! If I let something over the age of forty, let alone someone so skinny beat me, I'll have disgraced my team! I can't let them down! They trusted me!"

With that, the dinosaur's fear seemed to leave him as he released steam from his nostrils before letting out a loud roar. Psyla's eyes widened when the he ran over to her, wrapping her arms around her and flipping her upside down for a piledriver.

However, this was no ordinary piledriver as the dinosaur leapt high above the ground, letting out a loud battle cry as he transferred the biggest muscles in his torso to his arms and feet, causing them to expand in size while ignoring the pain it dealt to him. Psyla was now frightened again as he spat, "GIANT PILEDRIVER!" planting his feet against her arms and slamming her head hard into the ground.

All went silent through the area as the wolf coughed up a large amount of blood before passing out. Tyranitar took many deep breaths while glaring down at her, returning his muscles to normal. There was no way he would give her another chance. He was sick and tired of her persistence and just wanted the match to end.

With that, he lifted her up by her head and said, "I was going to come up with something more creative, but I think you deserve to meet the same fate as Charizard," Reika, Tsuya and Cici all panicking to the extreme when suddenly, things took a shocking turn when Psyla recovered right then and there and sent the claws on her feet into Tyranitar's gut.

The dinosaur's eyes and mouth were wide open as she wrapped her arms around his neck, planting the claws on her paws into the area just below it and spat, "MANDABLE CLAW!" once again spreading her claws out and putting deep gashes on the dinosaur.

However, just as it seemed the scale had tipped in her favour again, her eyes widened when she felt herself getting weak. It seemed after taking in so many fierce moves, she could no longer go on, the others staring with extreme worry in their eyes.

Tyranitar noticed this too as he sighed, "Okay, now I know for sure that I can end this," before placing a firm grip on the wolf's shoulders, opening his mouth wide and pulling her inward, chomping down onto her shoulder before shouting in a muffled voice, "CRUNCH BRAINBUSTER!"

With that, he lifted Psyla high above his head, Reika and Tsuya staring in horror while Cici bit her lower lip, sniffing, "Please, you can do it! I know you can!" Psyla twitching briefly before gritting her fangs together, ignoring the pain and shouting, "YOU WON'T WIN!"

With that, she threw her arms down, planting her claws into the sides of Tyranitar's head before applying all of her might to lower herself forward, the wolf soon back on the ground in the same position she had been in before Tyranitar lifted her. Though it did not end there as she let out a loud battle cry, applying more strength than ever before and shockingly managing enough might to slowly but surely lift the dinosaur high above her head, breathing heavily while keeping him like that, his teeth still digging into her flesh.

"You know what they say," Psyla uttered with a weak smile, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

With that, the wolf fell backward while saying, "Wolf Brainbuster," slamming Tyranitar's back hard into the ground as he coughed up blood, the claws adding to the pain as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, the dinosaur finally letting go of Psyla's shoulder and passing out.

All went silent as the reporter waited for a few seconds, soon stating, "And it would seem that this mysterious wolf person, who is apparently related to the hero Gardevoir, though I don't see the resemblance, has defeated this horrible monster," Reika and her friends cheering loud while Psyla lay there, breathing heavily.

On that note, now that they knew it was safe, the girls ran over to the wolf as Reika said, "Wow, you were so cool," Tsuya nodding and adding, "You are the most awesome adult I have ever met," Cici smiling softly and simply nodding in agreement.

"Thank you," Psyla said, light tears falling down her cheeks as the girls were now confused, the wolf adding, "Hearing those words certainly makes me happy, though I wish Gardevoir could have been here to see this," Reika simply shrugging and replying, "It's okay. Maybe you can set up a match with one of your old buddies so she can see you in action."

"I'm afraid that would be impossible," Psyla uttered before smiling bright and adding, "Tell her I'm really proud of her," before slowly closing her eyes, her smile stuck on her face as she stopped breathing, the girls staring in absolute silence as her whole body stopped moving.

"Is she...?" Reika uttered, Tsuya shaking her head and replying, "No, she just needs to rest. I'd probably fall asleep too after all of that," Cici biting her lower lip and letting down tears, sniffing, "No, it's hard to believe, but it's true."

The trio stared in absolute shock as the reporter turned to her cameraman and said, "I'm not sure what's going on, but this doesn't look good."

Reika pressed the side of her head up against Psyla's chest and said nothing as she let out a sigh, gritting her teeth and holding tightly onto her pant legs. She had witnessed her friends take in extreme torment from their opponents and come out of a victory in horrible condition, but it had never been this bad before. She hardly knew the wolf and yet she felt so much sadness right now, especially for poor Gardevoir who would have to deal with this if she ever returned from the Reverse World.

And if the other villains were anywhere near as bad as Tyranitar was, that was a definite if. Even if they won, who was to say the heroes would not meet a similar fate?

However, things were starting to look up when at this very moment, Machoke, Octillery and Gothitelle had finally arrived at the entrance to the Tokyo Dome. It had taken them longer than it should have, especially with the trip on land being a lot slower than the submarine ride, but they had finally made it and Machoke wanted more than ever to help his friends right now.

During this time, Aipom had actually been headed to the Tokyo Dome herself. For some strange reason, she could just feel that Machoke had arrived right now and wanted to be there by his side to give him advice again. After he had failed in the Hero Olympics finals, she could not risk letting him fight without her there to give him support again.


	71. Chapter 71

Things had taken a very unexpected turn and not for the better. Sure, Tyranitar had been beaten, but Psyla was dead. It seemed that last attack of hers was too much to handle, especially seeing as she had overexerted herself to the point where she was able to lift someone as heavy as Tyranitar up without her power activated.

But while Reika and her friends stayed by her corpse, the girls grieving, Reika's eyes widened when she heard someone else enter the area. Her eyes went even wider when the news reporter said, "And now it would seem there is a silver lining to everything that has happened as Machoke has returned!"

The cameraman focused primarily on Machoke now as the boy turned to the camera, Aipom halting her trip to the dome when she saw him on a big TV. Many other citizens stopped what they were doing when they saw him with a serious look on his face.

"I am sorry for missing in action," Machoke stated, "It was selfish of me to leave you all like this, but now I'm here to set everything right. I know I should have returned sooner, but honestly, I feel fortunate that I was able to get back this quickly. And mark my words, everyone, I'm going to help my friends put a stop to this!"

"Don't forget about us!" Octillery exclaimed, placing a tentacle on his shoulder as Gothitelle tried to avoid the camera. She hated being seen on camera unless it was for a match. At least then the fight would distract her from the pressure of having everyone watch and judge her.

However, while the citizens were cheering, Cici and Tsuya both looking beyond relieved, Reika simply ran over to Machoke and punched him hard in the cheek. Everyone stared as Tsuya blinked, saying, "To be fair, I was actually considering doing that myself."

Machoke groaned, rubbing his cheek, just about to retort to this action before sighing, "Yeah, okay, I totally deserved that," Reika then biting her lower lip and letting down tears before hugging the boy, sniffing, "We were all so worried about you! What were you thinking!?"

"Well, I'll have you know this was not as bad as you think it is," Octillery said, "You wanna know what he wanted to do with us in Hawaii most of all?" the girls staring, Tsuya asking, "He went to Hawaii?" as Gothitelle smiled lightly, saying, "He asked us to help him train."

Machoke nodded and said, "Yeah, I wasn't there for long, but I feel like I'm ready for this," Reika smiling and nodding her head before saying, "Well, don't just stand here talking about it. Go on and prove it," before pointing to the portal, Gothitelle's eyes sparkling at the sight of a dark place being located inside of that hole.

Machoke nodded and said, "Right," before noticing Psyla lying unconscious, asking, "Hey, isn't that Gardevoir's aunt?" then turning to Tyranitar and adding, "Well, looks like she did a good job keeping him at bay," the girls not even bringing up the fact that the wolf had killed herself in the process of winning her match.

However, just as Machoke was about to enter, he heard a familiar high-pitched voice screeching, "MACHOKE! DON'T GO YET!" the boy turning, his eyes widening when he noticed Aipom sprinting over to him with tears in her eyes, the monkey leaping onto his face and embracing it, squeaking, "Why did you run away!? Did I do something wrong!?"

Machoke rolled his eyes and simply patted her back before prying her off of his face, saying, "I had some issues to work out and now I have. I just wanna go in there and put a stop to whatever's going on. Will you help me, sensei?"

Aipom's eyes sparkled, a big open-mouth smile forming on her face as she nodded her head, bonking the boy over the head with her tail fist and scolding, "Don't do that again, though, okay!? You had everyone worried sick!" Reika laughing nervously and saying, "You didn't have to do that. I already hit him."

With all said and done, Machoke approached the portal with Aipom on his shoulder and Octillery and Gothitelle by his side. There was no way they were going to let him go in there alone. Though what really impressed Aipom was just how seriously the boy was taking this. A week ago, maybe a bit more than that, Machoke would have been terrified of entering a portal to a dark world but luckily, the boy had grown up so much during his time on Earth.

All the while, Blaziken continued to pull on Blitzle's arm as the zebra cried out in pain, the chicken saying tauntingly, "You know, the opponent I beat to be accepted into the Hero Olympics was a horse. You're not that much different from one, are you?" the zebra's eyes widening as he gasped, "YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO A HORSE!?" before crying out in pain when Blaziken tightened her grip, saying, "You're in no position to backtalk!"

Aegislash, meanwhile, had managed to rise back up onto the tip of her blade but was still trying to get over what had just happened. She had not detected nearly that much power from Gardevoir and yet she had taken in a powerful slam. Sure, her metal body did cushion the impact a bit, but it still hurt.

Though the worst part about all of this was that she knew that could have been prevented if she had paying more attention. The whole reason Gardevoir had grabbed her so easily was because she had been too focused on trying to save Blitzle from Blaziken and was not paying attention to the girl.

Right now, she would have to at least find a way to slow Gardevoir down before trying to save her ally from getting a broken arm, Blitzle all the while wishing she would hurry. This was far from the worst pain he had ever felt but it was still horrible.

As such, Aegislash glared at Gardevoir and said, "Alright, you will not be so fortunate again," Gardevoir holding up a defensive stance and feeling pretty good right now with the way things had been going.

As such, she proceeded to rush toward Aegislash, sending a palm punch toward her face only for the sword to hold up her shield this time. However, Gardevoir had seen this coming as she sent her other palm toward the side of Aegislash's head.

Unfortunately, the sword had also seen something like this coming as she held up her free arm, saying, "You should have aimed for the other side," grabbing hold of Gardevoir's hand as her eyes widened.

With that, she used her shield to keep Gardevoir's other arm busy before turning her body sideways and flipping herself over a full three-hundred-and-sixty degrees shouting, "SACRED SWORD!" a dark energy surrounding her blade as she managed to strike Gardevoir across the chest, blood flying out of her while she coughed up some of the substance, her eyes and mouth wide open as she fell hard on her back.

Gardevoir's body was twitching as she was in the worst pain she had ever felt in her life. Not even Garchomp's might could compare to be slashed with a blade, Lucario and Talonflame both staring in absolute horror.

To make matters worse, Aegislash was now ready to go after Blaziken as she once again performed a handstand using one finger and started spinning herself around like a pinwheel. Blaziken was too focused on Blitzle to notice as Aegislash felt she had enough momentum, sending herself flying toward the chicken while exclaiming, "SACRED PINWHEEL!"

Blaziken's eyes widened when she was slashed across the back, blood flying from that very spot as she released her hold on Blitzle, the zebra breathing a sigh of relief before getting up and wrapping his arms around her, shouting, "NOW IT'S TIME FOR MY REVENGE, AND LET ME TELL YOU, I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS AS COLD AS ICE!" electricity surrounding him as he spat, "SPARK!"

With that, electricity coursed through the chicken's veins as she cried out in horrible pain. Talonflame could not bare to watch this, the falcon shouting, "ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT! I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH THE ELECTRICITY HURTS!"

Lucario's eyes widened as he spat, "WAIT, DON'T-" only for the falcon to fly beak-first into one of the bars only to end up being electrocuted. He simply ignored the pain as he attempted to fly through, but after a few seconds, he came to a startling realization and stopped his assault, backing up and breathing heavily.

"I can't pass through these bars," he uttered, "and I can't break them either," Lucario nodding and sighing, "I had a feeling that would be the case."

After a few seconds, Blitzle's electricity was once again taking a break as the zebra released his hold on Blaziken, the chicken stumbling before falling on her back, his eyes and beak hanging open while Blitzle sighed, "Thank you ever so much, Aegislash," the sword shrugging and replying, "It is merely what allies do."

"Oh, heavens no, I am serious," the zebra remarked before wrapping his arms around Aegislash's face and exclaiming, "I will do anything, anything at all to repay you for this wondrous act! Ask and you shall receive!" Aegislash rolling her eye and groaning, "Seriously, enough with the- wait, did you say anything?"

"It's not over yet," came a familiar voice from behind Aegislash as her eye went wide, the sword slowly turning and staring in absolute horror when she saw Gardevoir standing. Sure, she was still bleeding, but she acted as if this meant nothing.

The sword could not believe what she was seeing. She had faced opponents with far tougher bodies before and even they would be lucky to have gotten up from an attack like that. And as if this could not be more difficult for her, Gardevoir's hands were now glowing violet only now the aura was brighter than it had been before.

"I have to admit, I really should have used this earlier," the girl said through deep breaths, "But I guess it's better I use it late than not get a chance to use it at all," Blitzle turning to Aegislash and asking, "Do you know what that glowing is?" Aegislash shaking her head and replying, "Whatever it is, it does not look good."

During this time, Gallade continued to move along when he started to feel a bit exhausted from all the running and jumping he had done. As such, he decided to take a quick break, but he knew he could not risk taking a long one as he took a deep breath, holding his knees and saying, "Man, this place goes on forever."

He then decided to take a seat on a nearby rock saying, "It's a good thing I was able to go ahead. Even if Blaziken and Gardevoir defeat their opponents, which they most certainly will, who's to say even they would make it this far in time."

He then looked around, thinking, 'Though it's odd. I haven't run into a single villain so far. In fact, it took us a fairly long time just to run into those first two, and there's supposed to be five more here.'

However, his train of thought would have to come to an end when he felt something slimy touching his neck. The boy then looked down and noticed his neck started to sink inward, Gallade's eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as he started to gag, his tongue sticking out of his mouth. But what was causing this? Was this a side effect of being in the Reverse World for too long? No, if that was the case, then there would be no need for him and his friends to be here.

It also did not explain why he felt something touching him right now. And this feeling was actually quite familiar as he looked back to his finals match in the Bourges elimination tournament when he faced a squirrel with a long tongue named Lickitung. He remembered being trapped in the squirrel's tongue, the feeling of saliva mixed with a rough texture pressing up against him.

With that, the boy also remembered how he had gotten out of it as he lifted up one of his arms so the blade portion was facing the area just behind his neck, the boy shifting it closer ever-so-slightly before lightly tapping something invisible. At that moment, a tiny drop of blood fell as the source seemed to let go, his neck returning to its normal width as suddenly, a certain green chameleon appeared, yowling in agonizing pain, his tongue rolling up in his mouth with a small cut near the end of it.

"I knew it!" Gallade exclaimed with a frown before turning to face the chameleon, "Well, finally managed to run into one of you! I can't believe it took so long, but Gallade's finally gonna get his chance to shine!"

Kecleon took many deep breaths, thinking, 'Dammit, I should have held on tighter. I gave him too much time to respond. A rookie mistake on my part,' before shaking his head and ignoring the pain to his tongue, folding his arms and saying, "It's most impressive you saw through my camouflage, but no more! I am Kecleon and you will fall to my-" his eyes widening as he ended up whipping out the end of his tongue briefly while talking and bit into his wound, his eyes going wide as he fell on his back, rolling around his pain crying, "OH GOD, IT HURTS! WHY DID YOU DO THAT, YOU BASTARD!?"

Gallade simply lowered his eyelids, thinking, 'Why is this loser even associated with those other two? Besides, chameleon teeth are tiny as Hell. That really shouldn't have hurt so much,' before sighing and holding up his arms out defensively, his mind adding, 'No, I can't let my guard down for a second! When I lost to Scrafty and Scyther, it was because I took them lightly and let my guard down! I can't do that! This guy might be significantly more powerful than he looks right now! After all, he almost killed me!'

He then realized he was just about to let go of a perfect chance what with his opponent writhing in pain and ignoring his presence. With that in mind, the boy proceeded to sprint toward the downed chameleon with his arms held back shouting, "YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED HIDDEN!"

But just as he was about to strike, Kecleon finally managed to ignore the pain as he quickly blended in with the ground, Gallade sending one of his blades toward where his neck was. However, when he saw the blade touch against the ground, he knew his opponent had dodged him, Kecleon going to his side and preparing to strike him.

However, just as he was about to do so, Gallade noticed the red stripe on his midsection just floating there and knew right away what that meant. As such he quickly swung his arm back, striking the side of Kecleon's face with his fist and sending the chameleon flying away from him.

"Some camouflage!" Gallade exclaimed tauntingly, "What's the point if you can't hide your stripe!?" Kecleon recovering from the hit but feeling terrified now as he knew the boy had a point.

All his life, he felt that his camouflage technique would be his greatest asset but for some reason, he was always able to hide every spot except for his stripe. Unless he was able to cover his lower body, there was just no point in using the ability.

All the while, Beedrill was still flying around and looking all over the place, wondering just how big the Reverse World was. And during this time, a certain butterfly was flying around as well, having been sent to patrol the area for anyone who might actually get past the others.

And during this time, Gardevoir was feeling truly ready now as her power had activated. However, like with Psyla, she could only have her new souped-up power activated for ten minutes, so she had to make every one of these minutes really count. Hopefully she would do a better job taking advantage of her powered-up state when her aunt had.

Blitzle looked frightened as Aegislash sighed, "We cannot allow this to get us down. We have a duty to perform," the zebra nodding and replying, "Right," both then nodding to one-another as the zebra took hold of the sword's handle, holding her upside-down and sending electricity through her, the two shouting, "THUNDER SWORD!"

Gardevoir definitely had to be careful now. This was the move they had used to not only knock out Throh but also cut off Sawk's hand. She really hoped she could prevent them from being killed yet alone freeing Talonflame and Lucario from their electric prison.

Luckily, she was truly prepared now as when Blitzle swung Aegislash's blade toward the girl, she simply held out her hand and grabbed it, both villains going wide-eyed as Gardevoir closed her eyes and pursed her lips, soon opening her eyes slowly when she noticed she had actually managed to stop the blade.

Granted, her palm had been cut slightly as blood dripped down the sides of her hand, but compared to what it should have done, this was nothing. Even the electricity coming from the blade seemed to have no effect on her, her eyes sparkling as this new power was even greater than she could have ever imagined.

With that in mind, the girl proceeded to pry Aegislash out of Blitzle's hooves, the zebra's eyes and mouth wide open as he spat, "ALAS, SHE HAS STOLEN MY WEAPON!" Aegislash groaning, "Good to know that is all I am to you right now," Blitzle uttering, "That's not true. I was just trying to be dramatic," Aegislash rolling her eye and sighing, "I was jesting, you ignoramus."

Their spat came to an end when Gardevoir flipped Aegislash around, now holding her by the handle and shouting, "SACRED SWORD REVERSAL!" swinging the blade sideways across Blitzle's chest, his eyes widening as he coughed up blood, more of the substance coming from his torso while he fell on his back, the zebra suffering the exact same fate the girl had earlier.

However, she knew Aegislash was not going to allow her to use her like this any longer and as such, she hurled the sword high into the air and leapt up to her level, grabbing onto her sword guard and lifting her body up above her own head while descending toward the ground. And soon enough, the two collided with the surface as Gardevoir spat, "METEOR BOMB!"

Aegislash's eye was wide open as a small crater formed around the spot. Sure, Gardevoir's Meteor Bomb was powerful, but it had never been this strong before. There was no doubt about it: this new power had been completely worth obtaining.

'Thank you, Auntie Psyla,' the girl thought with a big smile on her face, 'If only you could have seen all of that.'

However, her eyes widened when Lucario said, "Hate to break up your moment of happiness, but we're still trapped," the girl turning and staring in shock as it was just as he said. The cage was still up, but why? Was defeating Blitzle not enough to cancel out his electricity? Would she have to resort to killing him?

No, she could not do that. No matter how horrible a person was, she would never end that someone's life. Both she and Machoke believed in this and were proud of it.

Even so, she remembered how much pain her friends were in as she turned to look at them with concern, a light smile forming on her face when she noticed Blaziken slowly starting to move. However, the chicken had not fully recovered and this was certainly a bad thing as Aegislash and Blitzle were still moving as well, only they did not seem to be in nearly as critical of condition as her.

Gardevoir turned, staring in horror at the sight of the Blitzle slowly but surely rising to his feet while Aegislash positioned herself onto her sword tip. Still, Gardevoir's fear was not as high as before as both looked absolutely winded after taking in such devastating attacks.

"Oh my god!" Blitzle exclaimed, "That was the most horrifying thing I have ever experienced! I think we should just surrender and hope she shows mercy on our souls!" Aegislash taking a deep breath, sighing, "Blitzle, you knew the risk of joining the side of evil. If you are not ready to handle failure, you should just quit the team," the zebra's eyes widening as he shook his head, saying, "I cannot do that."

"Then cease being an infant," Aegislash remarked, "We will fight to the bitter end even if we end up forfeiting our lives," Blitzle nodding and replying, "Yes, you are right. I lost sight of that and for that I apologize."

The sword simply shook her head as Gardevoir took a deep breath, thinking, 'It's okay. I can do this now,' and this certainly seemed true as her new power had given her an unbelievable boost in strength. There was no way she was going to lose. Even if it meant fighting alone, she would win this.


End file.
